On December 14th, the Mat-Su Borough School District’s Library Citizens Advisory Committee met to discuss four books that are being challenged in school libraries.
December’s books included Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Forever by Judy Blume, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover, and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Each month, the committee’s eleven members are tasked with reading the books scheduled for the next meeting and casting two votes advising the school board about their future in MSBSD libraries.
The first vote asks whether the book in question violates Alaska statute regarding distribution of indecent materials to minors. The second vote is a recommendation on what, if any, school libraries should keep the book on their shelves.
Nineteen Minutes was published in 2007 and covers issues including school shootings and bullying. The committee voted eight-to-three that the book does not violate state statute. Eight of the members also recommended to have the book only accessible in high school libraries. Three members voted to remove it from all district shelves.
Slaughterhouse Five was first published in 1969 and deals with anti-war themes through a satirical, science fiction lens. It has been included in curriculum for both International Baccalaureate and Advanced Placement English courses. The advisory board voted unanimously that the book does not violate state statute, and that it should only be kept in the collections of high school libraries.
Forever… by Judy Blume was first published in 1975. It covers topics of sex and pregnancy among high schoolers. The committee voted eight-to-three that the book violates state statute. Nine members recommended that it be removed from all school libraries. Two voted to retain it only in high school libraries.
It Ends With Us was published in 2016 and includes numerous depictions of domestic and intimate partner violence. Eight members of the committee voted that the book violates state statute. Two members abstained from the vote. All voting members advised removing the book from all school libraries.
In total, the committee has recommended removing four of the sixteen books reviewed so far from all school libraries. The ultimate fate of the questioned books in Mat-Su schools will be up to the school board.
The next meeting of the committee is scheduled for January 11th, 2024. Books on the agenda include The Freedom Writer’s Diary, Breathless, and Crank. A fourth book, Verity may also be discussed if committee members are able to complete it over the holiday season.
