Censorship Roundup

La Mirada, CA-Controversy is heating up over Sophie's Choice , the acclaimed William Styron novel about a tormented Holocaust survivor, which was yanked from the library of La Mirada High School after a parent complained about the book's sexual content. The book has been missing from shelves since September, sparking a long-running protest by students who want it restored. Kat Kosmala and other students alerted the American Civil Liberties Union, which plans to sue the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District if the book isn't replaced. 'I don't believe it's anybody's right to decide what I should read and what I shouldn't read,' Kosmala told the Los Angeles Times. Styron reportedly expressed outrage at the prospect of any book being removed from the school library. 'It's improper to allow people to be browbeaten about books in this country,' said the 76-year-old Styron, who won the American Book Award for his 1979 novel.

Shreveport, LA-A Caddo Parish School Board committee has recommended that two previously banned books be reinstated to the high school reading list. The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier and The Great Santini by Pat Conroy were pulled from the list after parents complained about their profanity and subject matter. The ensuing review committee-which included high school librarians, students, and parents-deemed The Chocolate War appropriate for ninth graders, but suggested that it be regarded as optional reading with parental permission. The committee also recommended that The Great Santini be moved from the 10th grade to the 11th grade list and that students get parental permission before reading it.