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EXPLICIT CONTENT BELOW

VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED

Public school libraries, partially due to their smaller size, cannot carry every book ever written. The idea is that the book titles in school libraries are carefully curated to include educational material of differing viewpoints to inspire both a love of learning and reading.

Most parents agree that school library material should be age-appropriate also. Hence why we don't have a section containing Playboy or Hustler magazines, and why the internet is restricted at schools to allow only age-appropriate content.

So, are we book banners? 

Here's what we are NOT doing:

  • We are NOT telling authors to stop publishing their work
  • We are NOT contacting public (non-school) libraries to censor their selections
  • We are NOT asking retailers to stop selling these books
  • We are NOT concerned with classic titles that the media wants you to believe (ie Catcher in the RyeTo Kill a Mockingboard etc etc)

Here's what we ARE doing:

  • We ARE asking districts to have a clear review process for books with extreme content (not all do)
  • We ARE seeking the titles with the most explicit content (graphics with images of sex etc) to be removed from school libraries OR at least placed in a restricted area that needs parental consent
  • We ARE proposing that "explicit content" stickers be placed on covers so parents have more knowledge of content (like cd's)
  • We ARE proposing an opt-in policy that would allow parents who want their child to access these books full access
  • We ARE working nationally to have a book-rating system that would give parents to make educated decisions

What are we so concerned about?

The titles below have varying degrees of obscene material including but not limited to:

  • Graphics showing sex acts (not in a medical/educational way)
  • Extreme profanity
  • Detailed descriptions of masturbation
  • Oral, anal & vaginal sex
  • Forced oral sex
  • Rape & sexual assault
  • Incest
  • Pedophilia
  • Teaching kids how to use sex apps, and what websites to use

West Seneca District

The following titles have been found in one or both West Seneca high schools, using the online library search tool, Go Follet. This information is accurate as of March 2023.

Clicking the title links will bring you to a page of BookLooks.org that shows the explicit content we are concerned about. 

 

Title Author Year Published  Rating School
Lucky Alice Sebold 1999 5 East & West
Fun Home Allison Bechdel 2007 4 East
Tricks Ellen Hopkins 2009 5 East & West
This Book is Gay Juno Dawson 2015 4 East
Let's Talk About It Moen & Nolan 2021 4 West
Sold Patricia McCormick 2008 5 East & West
It Ends With Us Colleen Hoover 2016 4 East & West
Red Hood Elana Arnold 2020 4 East & West
BurnedCrankSmokeIdenticalPerfect, Tilt Ellen Hopkins 2004-2018 3-4 Various
TrianglesTricks Ellen Hopkins 2011-2012 4-5 East & West
Nineteen Minutes Jodi Picoult 2007 4 East
Shine Lauren Myracle 2011 4 East & West
Milk & HoneyThe Sun & Her Flowers Rupi Kaur 2015, 2017 4 East & West
The Bluest Eye Toni Morrison 1970 4 East & West
Oryx & Crake Margaret Atwood 2003 4 East
Juliet Takes A Breath (Graphic Novel) Gabby Rivera 2020 4 West

 

Examples

 Fun Home

 

Let's Talk About It

 

Juliet Takes a Breath

Graphic Novel Version

 

This Book Is Gay

 

 

 

The Sun & Her Flowers

 

Oryx & Crake

Red Hood