Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
The Kids Are All Right
Elizabeth Foster is one of the three student activists featured in the new documentary Banned Together, which captures the aftermath of a 2022 book ban in Beaufort, SC and the greater context of book banning efforts nationwide. In a terrific new piece for Teen Vogue, Foster recounts how she fought censorship in her hometown, and won. She and her fellow student activists get it.
The book-banning movement is about something so much bigger than books. The same movement started by attacking Critical Race Theory as a proxy for targeting Black and brown students. Queer and transgender students — like my own brother — were added to the list of demonized identities as far-right extremists came after their stories in schools and libraries. And now the Trump administration is coming after higher education by utilizing unconstitutional fear tactics to dismantle DEI programs and deport international students who challenge its policy positions.
I had a chance to see Banned Together recently before interviewing the producers for the Book Riot Podcast, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. May these bold young people’s efforts succeed.
Everything You Need to Know About Emily Henry
It feels like there are really just two seasons in publishing these days: Emily Henry is about to have a book out, and Emily Henry just put a book out. In the run-up to her latest, Great Big Beautiful Life, which hits shelves next week, the New York Times offers a TL;DR guide to the reigning queen of rom-coms. If you’ve been watching the phenomenon from the sidelines and wondering what the big deal is or whether the books might up your alley, this should do the trick.
The Writers Who Made TIME’s 100 Most Influential List
TIME has released its list of the most influential people of 2025, and several writers made the cut. Miranda July, whose novel All Fours set perimenopausal group chats aflame last year, and playwright Branden Jacob-Jenkins were featured in the “artists” category. Robin Wall Kimmerer, author of the perennially popular Braiding Sweetgrass, was honored as a “pioneer.” And to my great delight, Percival Everett was named a “titan.” A most appropriate title for the person I’m pretty sure is actually the most interesting man in the world. Books still matter, y’all.
The Memoirs You Should Be Reading Right Now
This spring is feeling like an especially rich season for memoirs and personal essay collections, and this variety pack captures a few of the very best. I can second the emotion for Sucker Punch by Scaachi Khoul, who recently sat down with Jeff for a super fun episode of First Edition. My own current read, Searches: Selfhood in the Digital Age by Vauhini Vara, would be a fantastic addition to the list as well.
