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Sandra Newman

SANDRA NEWMAN is the author of Cake and The Only Good Thing Anyone Has Ever Done; a memoir, Changeling; and The Western Lit Survival Kit: How to Read the Classics without Fear. She is co-author of the bestselling How Not to Write a Novel and Read This Next. Newman lives in Brooklyn.
The Western Lit Survival Kit

Books

The Western Lit Survival Kit

Books for Black History Month

In honor of Black History Month this February, we are highlighting essential fiction and nonfiction for students, teachers, and parents to share and discuss this month and beyond. Join Penguin Random House Education in celebrating the contributions of Black authors and illustrators by exploring the titles here: BLACK HISTORY – MIDDLE SCHOOL BLACK HISTORY –

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New Documentary Following the Life and Career of George Orwell

Orwell: 2+2=5 is a 2025 documentary film, directed and produced by Raoul Peck. It follows the life and career of George Orwell, and how his political observations are still relevant in present day, particularly the lessons from his novel Nineteen Eighty-Four.   George Orwell (1903–1950) served with the Imperial Police in Burma, fought with the Republicans during the Spanish Civil War, and

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