Brickbat: Reading Is Fundamental

Students in China returning to school will find fewer books in their libraries, much fewer. Reacting to a government edict to remove books "that damage the unity of the country, sovereignty or its territory; books that upset society's order and damage societal stability; books that violate the Party's guidelines and policies, smear or defame the (Communist) Party, the country's leaders and heroes," teachers have removed hundreds of thousands of books from school libraries across the country. Reuters reports that just one middle school removed books about Christianity and Buddhism as well as George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984.