When people think of romance novels, the first thing that comes to mind is shirtless men with windswept hair on the covers of mass-market paperbacks, or maybe the “damsel in distress” main character who is waiting for a love interest to come and save her from the clutches of evil. They’re often not thought of as ‘real’ reading, because they are stories typically written by women, for women, and starring women. But what if the truth is that even the most “raunchy” novels of the genre are deeply political?
freedom to read
Do This: Unite Against Soft Censorship
The only way to end censorship, whether it’s the quiet removal of books from library collections or in-your-face book bans, is to fight it head on. We saw a huge example of this – and a big win for free speech – this week when ABC and Disney returned Jimmy Kimmel and...
Watch This: Learn How to Spot Soft Censorship
A lot of people are talking about freedom of speech right now. As Americans, it's a right that has always defined us and that we all hold dear. That’s why the majority of us oppose book bans and censorship. The rise in book bans over the past few years has been well...
Read This: The Quiet Danger of Soft Censorship
We’ve been fighting the explosion of book bans since Red Wine & Blue started. PEN America reports 16,000 book bans in public schools since 2021 — a level not seen since the 1950s during McCarthyism. This increase has been driven by organized groups with a...
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Read This: Notable Moments in the History of Women’s Rights
March is Women’s History Month, which evolved from women fighting for better working conditions, women’s suffrage, and equality in education. Those are our people! Thanks to lobbying by the National Women’s History Alliance, President Jimmy Carter proclaimed the first...
Do This: Test Your Knowledge of Black History
Pop quiz! Let's test what you’ve learned from our Black History Month Easy A actions over the past two weeks! Want to challenge your friends and family to test their knowledge, too? Use the post below to share on your favorite social media or...
Watch This: Black History You May Not Have Learned in School
Have you ever heard of America’s Black Belt? No, we don’t mean martial arts! The Black Belt is a geopolitical region across the South. Its name originally referred to land where the soil was fertile and agriculture was strong, which meant it also had a high population...
Read This: More Hidden Figures in Black History
You may be familiar with the movie, “Hidden Figures,” based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book of the same name. It told the true story of Black women mathematicians for NASA who were critical to the success of the U.S. space program, but who had been overlooked by...
Do This: Share These News Literacy Tips
National News Literacy Week may be over, but we have one more action to take to make it a success! An important part of News Literacy Week is sharing its tips and resources with others. Earn your Easy A this week by sharing our 5 Steps to Evaluate News Sources video...