Rutherford County Schools could ban books from school libraries due to new law

RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WZTV) — A new state law bans any books containing obscene language or images, regardless of context, from school libraries, and it is the responsibility of school administrators to weed them out.

These are the seven books that may soon be banned from Rutherford County school libraries:

• “Beloved” by Toni Morrison
• “Maybe Tomorrow” by Stephen Chbosky
• “Wicked” by Gregory Maguire
• “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
• “Skin and Bones” by Sherry Shahan
• “Queen of Shadows” by Sara J. Maas
• Tower of Dawn by Sara J. Maas

Some argue that popular titles should be available to students of a certain age.

“We shouldn't have sexually explicit books in our libraries. I don't see the need for that,” said Caleb Tidwell, a member of the Rutherford County School Board.

Tidwell wants all these books banned.

One of them, “Menschenkind,” is about a woman who remembers her life as a slave.

Tidwell points out that the book contains, among other things, sexual acts, violence and racist comments.

“Anything inappropriate that we feel a young child’s eyes should not see should never be put on the shelf,” said grandmother Brenda Baggett of Rutherford County.

Baggett supports certain restrictions and believes that parents should have a say.

The Rutherford County Book Review website points out the foul language and derogatory language in “My Child.” However, some say that banning these books undermines educational quality and historical awareness.

“We have a lot of books that cover a wide range of topics, including many of the topics covered in most of these books, so that won't be missing either. I think there are implications when children are exposed to sexually explicit material up to a certain age,” Tidwell explained.

The Rutherford County School Board will vote on those seven books Thursday night, but not before another round of public hearings has taken place.

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