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11 books removed from Leander ISD book club, classroom libraries; still available on campuses

The books can still be found in campus libraries and digital libraries, Leander ISD said.

LEANDER, Texas — Editor's note: The above video was published in April 2021.

There is a list of books removed from Leander ISD classrooms and high school student book clubs.

There are 11 books that have been identified and removed from the district's optional book club and from classroom libraries. However, a district representative clarified the books are available in campus libraries and digital libraries at Leander ISD.

The controversy started when principals and teachers raised concerns about some books at schools. Later, parents complained about one book in particular that they said was inappropriate for students. The book, "In the Dream House" by Carmen Maria Machado, was on a student book club reading list. The book described a sex scene between two women with a sex toy, and led to an interesting school board meeting earlier this year.

Leander ISD has an advisory committee with community members who have been meeting since November 2020 to assess books available in the high school book clubs. 

Now, there is a selection of 11 books that are not allowed in the district's book clubs and are not allowed in classrooms:

  • "Brave Face: A Memoir" by Shaun David Hutchinson 
  • "The Handmaid's Tale: The Graphic Novel" by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault
  • "In the Dream House: A Memoir" by Carmen Maria Machado 
  • "None of the Above" by I.W. Gregorio
  • "The Nowhere Girls" by Amy Lynn Reed
  • "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Perez
  • "Red at the Bone" by Jacqueline Woodson
  • "Shirley Jackson's 'The Lottery' The Authorized Graphic Adaptation" by Myles Hyman
  • "Shout" by Laurie Halse Anderson
  • "V is for Vendetta" by Alan Moore
  • "Y: The Last Man Book One" by Brian K. Vaughan

The high school book clubs allow students to choose books to read from a list of approved titles.

Throughout the review process, there have also been titles that have been reinstated and will now be available in high school book clubs and classroom libraries:

  • "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi
  • "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henriquez 
  • "Kiss Number 8" by Coleen AF Venable and Ellen T. Crenshaw
  • "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up with Me" by Mariko Tamaki 
  • "Ordinary Hazards: A Memoir" by Nikki Grimes

After KVUE reported that the district had removed six books from the student book clubs, Leander ISD teachers pushed back.

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