Six books were successfully removed from schools in Rutherford County, Tennessee on Friday after school board members voted Thursday to place literature with graphic adult themes on a “mature reading list” that would prevent students from accessing the materials.
Multiple members of the public spoke ahead of the meeting, including a father named James Faulkner, who read from one of the books he argued includes “clear and obvious sections of pornographic scenes” that are unsuitable for minors.
Claiming to read from “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” the father read, “And the boy kept working up the girl’s skirt, and as much as she said no, he kept working on her. After a few minutes she stopped protesting her and she pulled her shirt up after she said no,” the father read. Faulkner stated, “This is visual pornography, and it’s inappropriate.”
In total, the school board considered seven books for placement on a newly-created mature reading list, and ultimately voted to place six titles on the list.
The book referenced by the father, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” has been subject to criticism in other parts of the country, including in Iowa, where parents in 2021 highlighted concerns about scenes within the book depicting drug and sexual abuse.
Another book pulled from Rutherford County school libraries is “Beloved,” which similarly contains explicitly sexual scenes. In 2021, outrage over that book helped spur Republicans to victory in Virginia, when the party highlighted controversial school materials and transgender bathroom policies during the campaign.
“Homegoing,” a third book pulled by the school board, contains a rape scene, as well as slavery, physical abuse, drugs, and child neglect. Due to its graphic content, a parent was asked to stop reading from the book at a Georgia school board meeting in 2022.
Two more of the removed books, “Queen of Shadows” and “Tower of Dawn,” are part of the “Throne of Glass” series that contain depictions of slavery and sex scenes. Common Sense Media explains the sequels contain more adult themes than their predecessor books, and readers who submitted comments about the book to the website goodreads.com complained the later books included graphic sex scenes.
The final book removed was “Wicked,” a dark retelling of the “Wizard of Oz” that reviewers have noted contains sexual content and adult situations.
A seventh book, “Skin and Bones,” ultimately did not receive the requisite votes for removal. The book does not appear to contain graphic scenes, although it still controversial due to its subject matter, as the main characters of the book struggle with eating disorders.
The books were pulled to comply with the Age-Appropriate Materials Act passed by Tennessee lawmakers in 2022.
Watch the full meeting where the books were pulled:
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Pennsylvania Daily Star and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Sure wish the Sumner County school board would pull their collective heads out and do the same.