“Access to The Bluest Eye was taken from students for three months just because a community member did not think they should have access to Toni Morrison’s story.” “Wentzville’s policies still make it easy for any community member to force any book from the shelves even when they shamelessly target books by and about communities of color, LGBTQ people and other marginalized groups,” said Rothert. The board also approved the retention of Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero, which faced challenges regarding language and depiction of rape. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri sued the district on behalf of two students.Īccording to the St Louis Post-Dispatch, the board accepted a review committee’s recommendation to retain Morrison’s book, voting 5-2 on Friday to rescind the ban.Īn ACLU official, Anthony Rothert, welcomed the news but warned that books remain suppressed, including All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M Johnson, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Heavy by Kiese Laymon and Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison.Ĭhallenges against two other books had been withdrawn, the Post-Dispatch reported. In a letter of protest, the Intellectual Freedom Committee of the Missouri Library Association said: “We encourage you to reexamine the depth of your commitment to education in the truest sense, and to find your courage in the face of baseless political grandstanding at the expense of educators and students in your district.” Backlash was swift, critics saying the board had violated first amendment rights. The Wentzville ban was imposed after a challenge by a parent exercising the right to request titles not be available to their children. Morrison’s 1970 debut novel is one of several titles, including Vladimir Nabokov’s Lolita, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and L8R, G8R by Lauren Myracle, to have gained the attention of school boards in conservative US areas. The board made national news last month when it voted 4-3 to remove the book from school libraries, citing themes of racism, incest and child molestation.

Morrison the bluest eye