ASHEBORO (AP) — The Randolph County Board of Education has scheduled a second look at its decision to ban Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” from school libraries.
The Asheboro Courier-Tribune reports that the board has scheduled a meeting for Wednesday in Asheboro. The meeting was announced last Thursday.
Board members voted 5-2 last week to remove all copies of the book from its library shelves. The decision came in reaction to a complaint from the mother of a Randleman High School student who said the book was “too much for teenagers.” The mother specifically objected to the book’s language and sexual content.
“Invisible Man” is a first-person narrative by a black man who considers himself socially invisible. It was originally published in 1952.
The board’s decision prompted local and national reaction. Word of the decision appeared on numerous media websites across the country,
“Invisible Man” was one of three books from which rising Randleman High School juniors could choose for summer reading for the 2013-14 school year. The book is also on a list of suggested supplemental works for high school students compiled by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.