Via every book blogger on the web a high school in Shelby, Michigan has banned Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison. The article states that “members of the community objected to its profanity, sexual references and violence.” Oh My.
The book was removed from an AP English course. I found the syllabus (a very thorough rendering of “classic” works and contemporary works) via Mark Athitakis’s blog “American Fiction Notes” But the feckless community members who began the protest either have a problem with Morrison, or have failed to read most of the western canon.
What are some of the titles left on the list?
Crime and Punishment (Not violent at all!); Paradise Lost (A sympathetic reading of Lucifer after the fall); Othello (Guy commits suicide after being tricked into killing his wife); Oedipus the King (Boy king gets left for dead, marries mother, kills father)
There may be signs of hope. According to the article, linked above, the Superintendent removed the book from the curriculum, but students can still check it out from the library. Fastest way to get teenagers to do something is to deny them access to it.