Censorship Roundup

Bozeman, MT: A review committee of the Bozeman (MT) School District has decided that a book with "sex god" in the title should remain on middle school library shelves. The district's learning materials review committee, comprised of teachers, librarians, parents, and a school administrator, voted 9–0 January 12 to retain On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson (Harpercollins, 2001) by Louise Rennison. Pius Ruby, the parent of a 12-year-old student at Sacajawea Middle School, appeared at the hearing to support his challenge of the book. Ruby, who had read On the Bright Side, specifically objected to the "sex god" title, rather than the book's content, says Brenda Wilson, Sacajawea's librarian and a member of the review committee. The sequel to British author Rennison's bestseller Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging, On the Bright Side follows the continuing exploits of teenage protagonist Georgia Nicolson.

Jackson County, MS: The board of the Jackson-George Regional Library system voted 5–2 January 10 to return comedian Jon Stewart's America (The Book) (Warner Books, 2004) to the library shelves at eight branches, a month after the satirical bestseller was yanked due to nude depictions of the nine U.S. Supreme Court justices. The ban had received national attention, prompting hundreds of letters and e-mails criticizing the library for restricting the book. Library director Robert Willits, who allegedly initiated the ban, told the Associated Press, "I've been a librarian for 40 years and this is the only book I've objected to so strongly that I wouldn't allow it to circulate." Willits did not respond to SLJ's request for an interview. The book, a sendup of American government, includes cutouts of the justice's robes alongside the nude photos, which are clearly faked. Readers are urged to "restore their dignity by matching each justice with his or her respective robe."

Owen, WI: The Owen-Withee school district has denied a request to remove Alex Sanchez's novel Rainbow Boys (S & S, 2001) from the high school library, despite objections to the book's sexual content. District Administrator Jim Friesen says the board voted in late December 2004 to sustain his earlier decision to make the book available to students in grade 10 and above at Owen-Withee Senior High. Friesen says that former high school teacher Brad Matheson initiated the book challenge, which was supported by a group of parents who opposed the book's homosexual theme. The challenge prompted a district review process, including a reading by Friesen, who determined that the book has a place in the school collection. Friesen says that most people who objected to Rainbow Boys had not read the book, only excerpts that had appeared on the Internet.