Books Pulled from Shelves Include Graphic Novels, Picture Books and Titles by Award-Winning Authors
(NEW YORK) — Wilson County Schools in Tennessee has removed over 400 books from libraries in response to a new state law, HB 843. The books pulled from shelves range from graphic novels and picture books to acclaimed titles by authors Toni Morrison, Jodi Picoult, Angie Thomas, John Green, and Dr. Seuss.
The law, which went into effect July 1, expands the “2022 Age-Appropriate Materials Act” by prohibiting public school libraries from having books with “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse,” or any book that is “patently offensive … or appeals to the prurient interest.”
The list of banned books includes popular novels such as the Netflix-adapted One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus, the classic The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Umbrella Academy comic book series by Gerard Way, Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss, and Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes, the most frequently banned book of the 2023-2024 school year, according to PEN America’s latest report. That year saw a dramatic 200 percent increase in banned books in schools nationwide with 10,046 instances of books banned.
Reporting showed the Clarksville-Montgomery County School System in Tennessee sent out the Wilson County book list as a “resource” for librarians and administrators to “strongly consider” as they review their collections under the state law. The Tennessee Association of School Librarians reported in September that over 1,100 books have been removed from public schools since HB 843 went into effect.
Kasey Meehan, PEN America’s Freedom to Read program director, said: “This law was designed to catalyze book banning; we should not be surprised now that we are seeing the mass removal of books in response to this censorial legislation. Wholesale banning with no exceptions for literary merit charts a dangerous path. When libraries are emptied of books, students are deprived of a robust education that supports their intellectual development into the future. This legislation and the subsequent response from school districts imposes a stark restriction on the freedom to read.”
Graphic novels, mangas, and picture books by award-winning authors are among the list of pulled titles in Wilson County Schools, such as The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, Hunter X Hunter by Yoshihiro Tagashi, and No, David by David Shannon. Further, the district has indicated that this is “an ongoing process” with the potential for even more books to be removed in the future.
About PEN America
PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. Learn more at pen.org.
Contact: Suzanne Trimel, [email protected], (201) 247-5057