Horror News and Commentary

Robert McCammon's Brush with Censorship

It's easy to develop a false sense that censorship is a thing of the past, at least when it comes to the written word. But every now and then a case comes along that reminds us why freedoms need to be exercised just like muscles. The instance on my mind today comes from the official Robert R. McCammon Web site, which provides an update on an ongoing case of attempted censorship of his novel "Boy's Life."

The site links to a Kansas City Star article reporting that "Boy's Life" has been approved for the curriculum at the Blue Valley School District by a district committee vote of 10 to 1. An agitated parent is expected to appeal the decision--which, along with the fact that someone on the committee actually voted to ban the book, is scarier than anything McCammon has ever penned.

The Alabama writer's novel keeps company with two other books that have been challenged by the same school district: Pat Conroy's "Lords of Discipline" and Toni Morrison's "Song of Solomon."--Pete Mesling

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Posted by Pete on December 19, 2005 11:02 PM
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