Some books now banned in Rutherford County Schools after vote

By Emily R. West

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    MURFREESBORO, Tennessee (WTVF) — School board members in Rutherford County on Thursday night voted to ban several books from its school libraries.

Those books are:

“Beloved” by Toni Morrison “Queen of Shadows” by Sara J. Maas “Tower of Dawn” by Sara J. Maas “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky “Wicked (The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West)”by Gregory Maquire

However, the board agreed to let one remain in school libraries.

“Skin and Bones” by Sherry Shahan

This comes a month after the school board assured in a work session they would review each book before making a final decision.

Board members argued they should create a mature reading list. However, that would be a change to district policy — which can’t go into effect until it’s taken up at a separate policy committee meeting.

“I knew this was going to be a tough night, and it reminds me of the mask controversies,” board chair Claire Maxwell said.

Earlier this week, the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee wrote a letter to the board Sept. 16, warning the members to not ban any books.

“Libraries are revered, protected places where students should be able to encounter a marketplace of ideas. If you continue banning books at this pace, RCS students will be shopping in a marketplace with nothing but empty shelves,” the ACLU wrote in its letter.

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