When Republic High School in southwest Missouri removed two novels from its curriculum and library in July, it drew national attention and launched a conversation about what books are acceptable for Missouri students.
Last week, local librarians celebrated Banned Books Week by inviting the author of one of the novels to speak and read from her work. As part of Word Missouri, an ongoing series on literature in the state, KBIA’s Davis Dunavin traveled to Republic to explore what makes a book suitable for students – and what Missouri’s next generation of writers think of efforts to control what they read.