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A roundup of recent news stories on book bans, page 12

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Booksellers incensed over sexual content law

Mar 26 2008

A new state law in Indiana that requires sellers of adult material to register with the state has bookstore owners fuming about government censorship and threatening a legal challenge. "This lumps us in with businesses that sell things that you can't even mention in a family newspaper," said Ernie Ford, owner of Fine Print Book Store in Greencastle.

The new law that takes effect July 1 requires businesses that sell sexually explicit material to pay a $250 fee and register with the secretary of state. Sen. Brent Steele, R-Bedford, who was a co-sponsor of the legislation, says he believes bookstore owners are getting worked up over nothing. But groups representing state and national booksellers say the law casts its net too wide.

"The way we read this bill, if you stock a single book with sexual content -- even a novel or a book about sex education -- you will have to register as a business that sells sexually explicit material," said Chris Finan, president of American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression. "This is just outrageous from our standpoint, and we believe it is a violation of the First Amendment."

Source: Indystar.com

In memoriam: Madeleine L'Engle

Sep 12 2007

Madeleine L'Engle, author of A Wrinkle in Time, winner of the 1963 Newbery Award and one of the most banned books in the USA, died on September 6 at the age of 88.

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