Hundreds of books have been removed from public school libraries in several Tennessee counties. Some of those include popular titles from famous authors, who are often used as part of school curriculums.
Book filtering legislation
The book restrictions in Tennessee follow the state’s adoption of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. That law only applies to books in libraries but not in classrooms.
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The law, initially passed in 2022, requires school districts to create policies and a governing body to review all books. In 2024, the law was amended to include books containing content the state deemed inappropriate for students at different age levels.
The law specifically calls out nudity, sexual abuse or content and “excessive violence.”
“Countless constituents are concerned that public and school libraries nationwide are making pornographic materials available to minors — and yes, I said pornographic,” Republican Rep. John Ragan said in a committee hearing covered by WTVF.
Law ambiguity
While the law applies to all of Tennessee, each county interprets it differently and has, therefore, banned or otherwise limited access to a varying number of books.
For example, in Monroe County, WBIR reports officials pulled 574 titles, including books on the Holocaust, Civil War and race and religion. When the station asked the school superintendent for an explanation as to why some of the books had been removed, she referred questions to the law’s legislative sponsor.
In Knox County, WBIR found officials removed 113 books, while WSMV reports Rutherford County pulled 185 titles. Oak Ridge Schools removed more than 320 books from the shelves.
In Anderson County, no titles were removed since none have been contested, according to the County’s Director of Communications, speaking with WBIR.
Popular titles removed
Among the books being taken off shelves, some are very popular among students, while others are common as part of the curriculum in other states.
“To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee and “The Grapes of Wrath” by John Steinbeck are two books that were pulled in at least one county. The former is often challenged due to the use of racial language in the book.
“Magic Tree House” author Mary Pope Osborne, along with popular children’s poet Shel Silverstein, are among the authors whose books have been pulled from shelves in Monroe County. Also removed from some library bookshelves was Calvin and Hobbes, a widely syndicated comic strip series.
There’s also concern about the process of book removals. A new poll from the Tennessee Association of School Libraries found that 20% of school districts have removed books at the command of district leaders without any sort of review process.
Law pushback
A Tennessee Democratic lawmaker has filed a bill to repeal parts of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. The Freedom to Read Act would repeal that law while ensuring that the books in public school libraries are appropriate for students.
It’s unclear if that bill has enough support to pass through the Tennessee General Assembly.
“While it’s important to protect children from genuinely inappropriate content, the current law in place undermines our constitutional rights to free speech, free access to information, and the ability to think critically,” said the ACLU of Tennessee.
