A school district in North Carolina that had banned "Invisible Man," Ralph Ellison's landmark novel about racial discrimination, has reversed their decision and made the book available to students once again, according to the Los Angeles Times.
The ban came about after a teenager's mother complained that the book contained sexual content that was "not so innocent" and "too much for teenagers." On Sept. 16 the school board convened and banned the book by a vote of five to two with one of the board members who voted to ban the book saying that he "didn't find any literary value" in the novel, according to Reuters.
"You must respect all religions and points of views when it comes to the parents and what they feel is age appropriate for their young children to read, without their knowledge," Kimiyutta Parson wrote in her complaint, according to the Christian Science Monitor. "This book is freely in your library for them to read."
Public condemnation to the ban was immediate and widespread with many of the board members saying that they had received a deluge of emails. The board voted to overturn the ban by a vote of six to one with some members saying that they had acted too rashly, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"We may have been hammered on this and we may have made a mistake, but at least we're big enough to admit it," board member Gary Cook said.
Board member Matther Lambeth, who has read the book and said he enjoyed it, said that the board had made an honest mistake by banning it, according to the Los Angeles Times.
"We've been accused of being ignorant bigots and racists. That is simply not the case," Lambeth said. "We should all be proud. When concerned citizens bring their displeasure at what their government has decided... that is the pinnacle of the democratic process."
