Cobb County Schools Remove Toni Morrison Novel, Bringing Library Pulls to 30-Plus
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Sep 21
Cobb County Schools Remove Toni Morrison Novel, Bringing Library Pulls to 30-Plus
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 21
Summary
Cobb County Schools pulled Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye” from public school libraries, adding the novel to more than 30 titles removed since 2023.
Graphic passages depicting child rape and incest drove the decision, with Superintendent Chris Ragsdale saying sexually explicit material should be left to parents rather than available in K-12 media centers.
Ragsdale said the district is not banning the book and noted other Morrison works remain available; explicit-content titles are reviewed through a separate administrative process instead of Georgia’s standard parent-challenge route.
Moms for Liberty backed the move as age-appropriate curation, while PEN America called it censorship and argued districtwide removals deny all students access to literature with educational value.
The dispute reflects a broader fight over school library control, parental authority and student access as districts continue challenging books with sexual content.