One of the most renowned novels in Black American culture — Alex Haley’s Roots: The Saga of an American Family — has been banned from school libraries in the Tennessee county of Knox. Published in 1976, a New York Times bestseller and recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, the title is one of 11 that have been added to the county’s list of now-124 banned books over the past year.
According to local news outlet WBIR, “The district is able to remove the book from shelves under the Age-Appropriate Materials Act (AAMA). The law broadly restricts materials from being available to students if they contain nudity, sexual abuse, sexual content or ‘excessive violence.’ While it still allowed materials to be taught during class, the law required materials to be removed from school library shelves.”
Knox County Schools spokeswoman Carly Harrington asserts that “librarians are expected to incorporate the legal standard into their collection review and management processes. This includes elevating titles to the district review committee if an AAMA concern is identified.”…