A group of Meridian, Idaho parents convinced the school board to pull a Sherman Alexie novel from the curriculum on the grounds that the book was pornographic, racist and anti-Christian. Although the book won the National Books award, it has ranked number 2 on a list of the most censored books in the nation. (Idaho Statesman, April 2, 2014, by Bill Roberts)
Students have been active in fighting the ban. They raised funds to buy a copy of the book for the 350 teenagers who wanted to read it and handed out 315 copies of the book at an event in a local bookstore. The publisher is contributing another 350 books to the cause insuring that the “Streisand effect” prevails. (Gawker, April 29, 2014, by Jay Hathaway)
The American Civil Liberties Union honored student Brady Kissel as “Constitutional Hero of the Week” for her work in challenging the censorship. (ACLU, April 30, 2014, by Lee Rowland)