What Beyoncé and This Ancient Greek Poet Have in Common

Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.

They Know How to Sell Out a Show

“Same, same,” Beyoncé tells Homer in my fictional universe. IMAX showings of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey adaptation are sold out. Scalpers are now selling tickets at $200 a pop. Let me remind you that the film debuts July 17, 2026. Universal got bold selling tickets to the limited IMAX screenings a year ahead of the premiere and it paid off. This movie is going to be BIG, which was already evident once we heard tell of the absolutely star-studded cast that includes Matt Damon in the lead role, Lupita Nyong’o, Elliot Page, Anne Hathaway, Robert Pattinson, and the internet’s favorite couple, Tom Holland and Zendaya. I didn’t even try to score tickets but I cannot wait to see this film. Who wants to try reading The Odyssey with me before the movie’s out?

Take a look, it’s in a book

Guess I get to have the Reading Rainbow theme song on repeat in my head all day. Smithsonian magazine published a profile of the beloved PBS program and reminded me that there’s a documentary about one of my all-time favorite childhood shows. The profile published mere days before PBS lost funding, alongside NPR, and amidst so much discourse about declining literacy among the youth. For these reasons, it’s a bittersweet read, but I appreciated the opportunity to bask in good feels reading about people who gave a damn about childhood literacy and created entertainment to combat the summer slide. People who made reading fun for so many children. Learn more about the show’s inception and what our good friend, LeVar Burton, thinks about his legacy as Reading Rainbow‘s host. Now excuse me while I put the Butterfly in the Sky documentary on my watch list.

Unlock a Most Visual Language

Are you doing anything but work because “Friday?” If you’d rather be figuring out whether or not you’re literate in emoji, then you’re in luck because publisher W.W. Norton has a game for that! Test your knowledge of emojis with their “Face With Tears of Joy Quiz.” But, wait, there’s more! Apple News Plus is reportedly entering the games fray with Emoji Game (what is up with these names?). The Verge describes it as Wordle crossed with emoji. Check it out, but don’t forget to touch grass.

How a Quiet Librarian Became a Loud Threat to the Iowa Legislature

You may know India May, even if you haven’t heard her name yet. At a Friday, May 30 Town Hall Meeting in Parkersburg, Iowa (held at the convenient and accessible time of 7:30 AM), Jodi Ernst was at the center of a viral moment. She’d been asked about the impact of Medicare cuts in Trump’s budget and tax bill, and during her answer, a voice shouted from the audience that “people will die.” Ernst’s response was a startling heartless and honest “People will not — well, we all are going to die. For heaven’s sakes, folks.”

The voice from the audience was none other that India May.