twistedlibrarian writes “The book Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher, has become controversial in Grand Rapids, Michigan, because one of the stories contains the word “nigger.” After a parent complained, the teacher was suspended and the book was removed from the schools, including the libraries.
Controversy over racially sensitive themes and language is not new. For example, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a frequent target of similar censorship efforts. African-American authors are disproportionately attacked on these grounds. Richard Wright, Ralph Ellison, Alice Walker, Walter Dean Myers, Toni Morrison, and many others, have been challenged, even though their books represent efforts to expose the reality of racism and the harm it causes.
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