Challenged fantasy book returns to SC school library shelves following district review

Alexa Jurado
·2 min read
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A Midlands school district will return a challenged book to its schools’ shelves after a review committee deemed it appropriate.

Lexington-Richland 5 received a complaint about “A Court of Mist and Fury,” a 2016 fantasy novel by Sarah J. Maas, in September. The original Sept. 26 complaint claimed the book, which was available to students at Chapin High School, to be “pornographic material” and called it “sexually explicit.”

“The language in this book can’t be used verbally by students or worn on clothing but can be made available in school?” the complaint read. “No school should be providing pornographic materials to minors.”

Last year, the book was one of the most frequently challenged in school districts around the country, according to the American Library Association. But a district review committee of parents, teachers and staff met to discuss “A Court of Mist and Fury” Nov. 7, and came to the consensus that it is “acceptable and appropriate” for the libraries at the district’s five high schools. All copies were promptly returned to shelves.

Lexington-Richland 5 only had three copies of the book in circulation at the time of the complaint, and had to order six more copies so each committee member would be able to read the book, Superintendent Akil Ross said. It’s unclear what will happen to the additional six copies.

Last month, many of the review committee members told district administrators that they needed extra time to finish reading the 640-page novel, and any supplementary material reviewing or examining the book’s content. The school board denied that request.

All committee members were able to read “A Court of Mist and Fury” in its entirety, according to the committee report.

The decision can be appealed to the school board, per district policy. After that, the book can’t be challenged for another five years.

The book was the second challenged district material in the last year. In the fall of 2022, another review committee decided to keep the children’s book “Black is a Rainbow Color” on Lexington-Richland 5 shelves after the district received a complaint regarding its racial themes.

In neighboring district Lexington 2, 17 books have been removed from schools so far this year.