The novel "Push" by Sapphire (which was the basis of the movie Precious: based on the novel "Push" by Sapphire
) has been removed from the Horry County School's libraries. The book was not the only item removed from the libraries, simply cited as an example of an item removed because its content was deemed "inappropriate" by the school board, WCBD TV reports. I do not think any material should be banned from a library. Restricting knowledge must not be the point of any library, or school for that matter. I did not sign up as a librarian to be a parent and hold your hand, you have a momma or daddy or aunt or whatever for that. If you do not have a parental figure, then you already know some pretty harsh lessons and a book is not going to shock and awe you.
Schools and teachers in general are getting the short end of a very long stick in more ways than one, however. AR reading lists and other backwards ways of thinking are hurting more than helping as they hinder not only what a child reads but how they read it. A school librarian now-a-days has the horrid task of almost anti-readers advisory. The choices are what the kid wants to read (if at all), what the kid has to read, and what the bureaucracy has allowed.
Coming from a kid who had read everything Stephen King had written before 7th grade, I applaud the librarian/teacher that even put this book in a middle school library. Quality stories, themes and topics should be in the library, every library. If you are afraid of talking with your kids about what they are reading or topics that you may find disturbing, keep them home and in their rooms and hopefully they will grow up well adjusted enough to have honest conversations with their inbred sister/daughters and brother/sons.