Banned Books 2018 – Running With Scissors

Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.

2018

Challenged, but retained in a public library in Oregon. The memoir was reviewed because of a patron’s belief that the material is child pornography and promotes child sexual abuse.

2011

Challenged as a suggested reading in a class where juniors and seniors earn college credit in Hillsborough County (FL). Four high schools – Plant, Middleton, Hillsborough, and Bloomingdale – voted to keep the book and place a “Mature Reader” label on the front cover. Three high schools – Sickles, Robinson, and Lennard – will require parental consent. Gaither High School and Riverview High School voted to ban the book. Riverview’s report stated: “This book has extremely inappropriate content for a high school media center collection. The book contained explicit homosexual and heterosexual situations, profanity, underage drinking and smoking, extreme moral shortcomings, child molesters, graphic pedophile situations and total lack of negative consequences throughout the book.”

2008

Challenged in the Howell (MI) High School because of the book’s strong sexual content. In response from the president of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE), the county’s top law enforcement official reviewed the book to see whether laws against distribution of sexually explicit materials to minors had been broken. The county prosecutor wrote, “Whether these materials are appropriate for minors is a decision to be made by the school board, but I find that they are not in violation of the criminal laws.”

2007

Challenged in the Howell (MI) High School because of the book’s strong sexual content. In response from the president of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE), the county’s top law enforcement official reviewed the book to see whether laws against distribution of sexually explicit materials to minors had been broken. The county prosecutor wrote, “Whether these materials are appropriate for minors is a decision to be made by the school board, but I find that they are not in violation of the criminal laws.”

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

July 25, 2018