Akron Public Library

Hamilton High Principal Wendell Quinn is tired of the violence, drug abuse, teen pregnancies, and low expectations at his Indianapolis school. A single father of four, Quinn is a Christian and a family man. He wants to see change in his community, so he starts a voluntary after-school Bible Study and prayer program. He knows he is risking his job by leading the program, but the high turnout at every meeting encourages him. A year later, violence and...

When a string of racially motivated lynchings threatens to tear the country apart, two orators sweep into Washington and demand that the constitution be modified to allow for a law that will end the widespread violence. Racial and religious speech that undermines others' beliefs must be classified as hate speech and must be severely punished.

In these contentious times, free and unfettered access to information is more important than ever. And censorship is no longer just for books. Pekoll examines the many ways that access to information-- especially of underrepresented perspectives-- is being restricted beyond the banning of books. -- adapted from foreword

By the fall of 1963, the Civil Rights Movement has penetrated deep into the American consciousness, and as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, John Lewis is guiding the tip of the spear. Through relentless direct action, SNCC continues to force the nation to confront its own blatant injustice, but for every step forward, the danger grows more intense: Jim Crow strikes back through legal tricks, intimidation, violence, and...

"In the only picture book version of Dr. King's speech in print, two-time Caldecott Honor winner Kadir Nelson has illustrated its most iconic works with magnificent paintings, with the speech in its entirety included in the back of the book." -- jacket flap.

"A vital, necessary playbook for navigating and defending free speech today by the CEO of PEN America, Dare To Speak provides a pathway for promoting free expression while also cultivating a more inclusive public culture. Online trolls and fascist chat groups. Controversies over campus lectures. Cancel culture versus censorship. The daily hazards and debates surrounding free speech dominate headlines and fuel social media storms. In an era where one...

"Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jon Meacham helps us understand the present moment in American politics and life by looking back at critical times in our history when hope overcame division and fear. Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of presidents including, besides...

"Why not just make the cake? That's a question countless people across the country started asking in 2012, when Jack Phillips told two men who walked into his Masterpiece Cakeshop that he couldn't create a custom cake for their same-sex wedding. And the question only grew more urgent as Phillips had to defend himself first before the Colorado Civil Rights Commission and then numerous courts--losing at every step of the way until the U.S. Supreme Court...