KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Knox County Schools sent a list of books it will remove from libraries to the Tennessee General Assembly after the district reviewed concerns from parents in the community following the Age Appropriate Materials Act update.
The list contains 48 books that it says fail to comply with the Age Appropriate Materials Act, and is the first to be released to the public since new restrictions on library materials went into effect earlier this year. In July 2024, a Tennessee law adding specific restrictions to the Age Appropriate Materials Act was passed by the Tennessee legislature, requiring all Tennessee schools to remove books that did not meet new requirements from the shelves.
The new law focuses on banning books with sexually explicit content, specifically targeting materials that contain nudity, sexual excitement, sexual conduct or excess violence. It also granted additional powers to parents to determine whether or not a book is inappropriate for their child.
Conservative organization Moms for Liberty has been an active advocate for the removal of materials from Knox County Schools since the bill was first introduced. Sherri Garrett of Knox County's Moms for Liberty chapter believes that parents need to be more involved in what their kids are reading at school.
The Southern Poverty Law Center identifies Moms for Liberty as a "far-right organization that engages in anti-student inclusion activities" that opposes LGBTQ+ and racially-inclusive curricula. It has also advocated for book bans and created a list of books it considers explicit.
"Years ago, we would never have allowed children to have content that is that graphic and that explicit, and I don't know, to be honest, I don't know what changed," Garrett said.
Despite the list of books that have been banned she believes danger may still be on the shelves.
"We've been trying to educate the public because, to be honest, I don't think most, even most parents, as well as teachers and even librarians, I don't even think were, they were aware of some of the content," Garrett said.
This week, the updated list was shared with Knox County educators to remove from their libraries.
Here is the complete list of books that will be banned:
- Me, Earl & The Dying Girl by Jessee Andrews
- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
- Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
- Chopsticks by Jessica Anthony
- 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher
- Girls on the Verge by Sharon Biggs Waller
- There's Going to Be a Baby by John Burningham
- Draw Me A Star by Eric Carle
- Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
- A Stolen Life by Jaycee Duggar
- The Carnival of Bray by JessieAnn Foley
- In A Glass Grimmly by Adam Gimwitz
- Lighter Than My Shadow by Katie Green
- Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
- Locke and Key: Alpha and Omega by Joe Hill
- Locke and Key: Clockworks by Joe Hill
- Locke and Key: Welcome to Lovecraft by Joe Hill
- Identical by Ellen Hopkins
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- Attack on Titan Vol. 2 by Hajime Isayama
- Grown by Tiffany Jackson
- DUFF by Kody Keplinger
- The Walking Dead: Book Ten by Robert Kirkman
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- Monstress Vol. 2: the Blood by Marjorie Liu
- Late Night at the Telegraph Club by Malina Lo
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
- Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas
- The Way We Work by David Macaulay
- Wicked by Gregory Maguire
- Sold by Patricia Morrison
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- Skin by DonnaJo Napoli
- Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
- Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick
- Beautiful by Amy Reed
- Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs
- You: The Owner's Manual for Teens by Michael Roizen
- I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez
- In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak
- A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein
- The 57 Bus by Dashka Slater
- Blankets by Craig Thompson
- Squad by Maggie Tokuda-Hall
- Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut
- Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Five of the books were on elementary school shelves, eight were in middle schools and 35 were available on high school shelves.
Knox County Schools said in September, librarians attended an all-day training session to learn about the new law and practiced identifying titles that could be affected. Over the fall semester, a committee also reviewed the titles identified by librarians as possibly being impacted by the state's law.
"KCS will continue to support librarians throughout the year to incorporate this process into their routine collection management cycle. We will also work as a district team to ensure we maintain a consistent approach across school library collections for additional titles as they are identified," KCs said in a release.
It also said schools have until winter break to "align their collections" according to the list.
“Knox County Schools is committed to complying with all state laws related to library collections, and to providing engaging materials that help our students achieve academic success and explore their interests and passions. Our librarians are highly trained educators who make a positive difference for students every day, and we will continue offering the support and training they need to pursue this mission," the school district also said in the release.