Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.
2025
On August 12, the board of the Elizabeth School District (CO) announced they were removing 19 titles from school libraries “for review” and requiring parental permission for 110 others. The board cited concerns over the religious views expressed; LGBTQIA+ content; and depictions of drug use, sex, and violence in the books. Nineteen Minutes was one of the titles removed. Titles requiring parental permission included 1984, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, and Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl. On March 19, 2025, a federal judge ordered the district to restore access to all 129 titles and prohibited further censorship of library books “because the district disagrees with the views expressed therein or merely to further their preferred political or religious orthodoxy.”
2018
Retained as a required part of the 8th-grade curriculum at Santa Rosa (FL) District Schools. A parent filed a formal request to ban the classic 1953 novel because of profanity and using God’s name in vain. She also had concerns about Bradbury including sex, drugs, suicide, murder, and abortion in the book. After a review committee evaluation, per district selection policy, the superintendent clearly and directly supported intellectual freedom by retaining the book. Despite the school district’s assurance that students can opt for another assignment, some students plan to start a petition to ban Fahrenheit 451 from Santa Rosa District Schools for good.
2007
Challenged at the Conroe (TX) Independent School District because of the following: “discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, ‘dirty talk’, references to the Bible, and using God’s name in vain.” The novel went against the complainants’ “religious beliefs.”
On These Pages
A Banned book has been removed from a library, classroom, etc.
A Challenged book has been requested to be removed from a library, classroom, etc.
For additional information contact
Ron Titus, titus@marshall.edu
304-696-6575
Last updated
August 11, 2025