Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.
2020
It’s Your Tea Party and Florida Citizen’s Alliance challenged 14 books, alleging that the books were “obscene and/or pornographic material” under Florida law. The school libraries only carried 10 of the 14 books including Almost Perfect by Brian Katcher, Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt, The Women of Brewster’s Place by Gloria Naylor, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Truth About Alice by Jennifer Mathieu, Dreaming in Cuban by Christina Garcia, Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, and Beloved by Toni Morrison. The Superintendent of the Marion County (FL) Public Schools removed all the available books from middle schools. As required by their policies, she convened a committee to review the remaining nine books to determine the educational value of the content for high school students. The committee recommended their retention, and the superintendent approved the recommendation. The groups then appealed the retention of three of those titles to the school board, which voted to keep them.
2011
Challenged at the Oconee County (GA) Library because the cover of the book – an novel about a woman whose desires run against the family structure of the 1890’s – shows a painting of a woman’s bare chest and upset the patron. The novel was first published in 1899.
2007
Retained on the Northwest Suburban HS District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights (IL) along with eight other challenged titles. A newly elected school board member raised the controversy based on excerpts from the books she’d found on the Internet.
On These Pages
A Banned book has been removed from a library, classroom, etc.
A Challenged book has been requested to be removed from a library, classroom, etc.
For additional information contact
Ron Titus, titus@marshall.edu
304-696-6575
Last updated
August 12, 2020