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Part of the generation of Norman Mailer and Philip Roth, he explored the lives of ordinary men and women and the complexities of Jewish identity in America.

A leading sociologist, he explored American society up close — living in a Levittown at one point — to gain insight into issues of race, class, the media and even the Yankees.

A leading sociologist, he explored American society up close — living in a Levittown at one point — to gain insight into issues of race, class, the media and even the Yankees.

These children’s picture books have been banned. To some, the topics — racism, sexuality, transgender identity and gay relationships — are not appropriate for very young readers.

A major figure in independent publishing, he promoted Henry Miller’s once-banned book and helped make “A Confederacy of Dunces” a best seller after the author’s death.

She and her husband, LeRoi Jones, published works by their literary friends. After he left her and became Amiri Baraka, she found her own voice.

Joseph O’Neill’s fiction incorporates his real-world interests in ways that can surprise even him. His latest novel, “Godwin,” is about an adrift hero searching for a soccer superstar.

Joseph O’Neill’s fiction incorporates his real-world interests in ways that can surprise even him. His latest novel, “Godwin,” is about an adrift hero searching for a soccer superstar.

The Museo Bodoniano in Parma, Italy, is a mecca for one of the world’s most enduring, and ubiquitous, typefaces. Meet Giambattista Bodoni, the “prince of typography.”

“The Chocolate War,” published 50 years ago, became one of the country’s most challenged books. Its author, Robert Cormier, spent years fighting attempts to ban it — like many authors today.