Banned: 19 books pulled from Mason City School Libraries

[progressoid]

Here we go...

Books are being pulled from the shelves of Mason City Schools' libraries to comply with newly enacted state legislation Gov. Kim Reynolds says will protect children from damaging and obscene material.

At its Monday, July 17 meeting, the Mason City School Board conducted the first reading of a series of policy changes that would bring the district into compliance with newly enacted statewide legislation, most notably regarding the review of instructional materials and the district's policy towards students' gender identity.

The policy changes, as recommended by the Iowa Association of School Boards, were made as a result of a sweeping educational reform bill championed by legislative Republicans and signed by Reynolds in May.

...

These are the 19 titles and their authors pulled by the school district:

"Killing Mr. Griffin" by Lois Duncan.
"Sold" by Patricia McCormick.
"A Court of Mist and Fury" (series) by Sarah J. Maas.
"Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany D. Jackson.
"Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult.
"The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood.
"Beloved" by Toni Morrison.
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green.
"The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini.
"Crank" by Ellen Hopkins.
"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher.
"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.
"An American Tragedy" by Theodore Dreiser.
"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker.
"Feed" by M.T. Anderson.
"Friday Night Lights" by Buzz Bissinger.
"Gossip Girl" by Cecily von Ziegesar.
"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou.

more....https://globegazette.com/news/local/book-ban-implemented-in-mason-city-school-library/article_1e45064a-386a-11ee-82f7-c3e222c4871a.html

[bullimiami]

1. Im hoping there is a pretty small obnoxious minority demanding this.

And its not going to play well at the ballot box.

[progressoid]

4. I wish that were true.

If recent elections are any indicator, IA is going to continue this trend of idiocracy.

Hope I'm wrong.

[sinkingfeeling]

2. They are destroying education. There are several award-winning books and classics on that list.

[progressoid]

5. They didn't even read them.

From the article:

Each of these texts was reviewed using AI software to determine if it contains a depiction of a sex act. Based on this review, there are 19 texts that will be removed from our 7-12 school library collections and stored in the Administrative Center while we await further guidance or clarity.

[BigDemVoter]

3. Reminders me of book burning in Germany in the 1930s. . . .

[Harker]

6. I'm surprised "Fahrenheit 451" didn't make the list.

That will probably be in the next wave.

[Postal Grunt]

7. The Censors aren't really all that smart

While the people trying to ban books think they're on top of things, the kids they're trying to "protect" have been ahead of them for quite a while. The students will still be able to access these books online through used booksellers and other libraries. Cell phones and iPads give the students access to a world much larger than the one the governor and legislators grew up in. If the students want to read a banned book, they'll find a way.

[progressoid]

8. It's basically an invitation to seek these books out.

I remember when the Satanic Panic opened me up to lots of new music!

[Wonder Why]

9. Kids will read the Bible more - now that they know where the juicy parts are!