ABFFE, NCAC Welcome Decisions Clearing Challenged Books

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) and the National Coalition Against Censorship (NCAC) have welcomed decisions by federal, state, and local prosecutors that uphold the right of students in Howell, Michigan, to read Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, Richard Wright's Black Boy, Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five, and Augusten Burroughs' Running with Scissors.

U.S. Attorney Stephen J. Murphy III and Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox announced on Wednesday, March 7, that there is no merit in the complaints made by the Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE) that the books are obscene. Murphy, who had referred the books to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a decision, declared that neither "[t]he material submitted nor its inclusion as part of the school's required English curriculum constitutes a violation of federal law." Livingston County Prosecutor David Morse had cleared the books last week.

"We are pleased to see that the U.S. Attorney, Attorney General, and County Prosecutor have made the right decision in this case and deferred to the school officials, who had undertaken an appropriate and thoughtful review of the educational value of these books," said NCAC Executive Director Joan Bertin. "The case demonstrates the need to educate more parents about how the First Amendment applies in public schools."

ABFFE President Chris Finan added, "It is disturbing that it has taken the U.S. Attorney so long to conclude that he has no jurisdiction in this case. It should never have been referred to the FBI in the first place."

While expressing satisfaction in the outcome of the Michigan case, Bertin and Finan noted that it was just one of a rash of censorship incidents in recent weeks involving books used in public schools.