Censorship Roundup

By Staff -- School Library Journal, 1/1/2005

LeClaire, IA: James Howe's The Misfits (S & S/Atheneum, 2001), a novel that deals with name-calling in middle school, was under attack at Bridgeview Elementary School because one of the story's main characters is gay. The book was suggested by the school's media specialist after a teacher requested a book about name-calling. But after The Misfits was read aloud to a group of sixth graders, a parent complained that it was inappropriate. The school board voted to allow the book to be read aloud in middle and high schools but banned it as a read-aloud in elementary schools. Copies of the book will remain in all district school libraries.

Santa Barbara, CA: Always Running (Curbstone Press, 1993), a gang memoir by Luis Rodriguez, has been removed from the sophomore reading list at Don Pueblos High School, following a parent's complaint about the book's graphic sexual content and violence. The Santa Barbara School Board recently approved the superintendent's decision to eliminate the book as required reading in secondary schools in the district, but it will remain in all school libraries.

Wilson, NC: The only copy of Diamond Dogs (Little, Brown, 2000) by Alan Watt was recently pulled from the library shelf at Speight Middle School after parents complained about sexually explicit passages. Parents Cliff and Karyn Harwood voiced their concerns about the novel to Principal Brad Shackleford after their 11-year-old daughter picked the book from an Accelerated Reader list for extra credit. Shackleford removed the book temporarily, pending a recommendation from the school's eight-member media advisory committee. The group eventually approved the permanent removal of the book.