QUESTIONABLE BOOKS
Questionable books are books in Rockwood libraries with sensitive topics like racism or gender identity, or they may include gratuitous violence/profanity. They may be sexually explicit or portray police or our country in a negative light. Parents brought them to our attention.
Note: It is now a class A misdemeanor if a Missouri school provides sexually explicit images to students. However, sexually explicit content that is written (words, but no images) is not prohibited in Missouri schools.
A Court of Mist and Fury sexually explicit content that is written (no images.) It's in all 4 Rockwood high schools.
Activists Assemble: We Are All Equal elementary schools; racism, gender topics (removed).
*All American Boys a white police officer brutally beats a Black teen, profanity, mature situations. It is on Rockwood's approved list and has been read in 9th grade Language Arts classes.
All Boys Aren't Blue sexually explicit content that is written (no images.) In all Rockwood high schools.
* Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen tells the story of the author's transition from male to female. Rockwood has approved this book for class reading in grades 6-12. You can read a common sense media review here.
Beyond Magenta is a book that follows six teens through their transition to the opposite gender. It's in every Rockwood high school. Here's more about the book on Amazon.com.
*Dear Martin a white police officer shoots and kills a Black teen and another Black teen is wrongly accused of committing a crime, profanity, drugs, mature situations. It's on Rockwood's approved class reading list and has been read in 9th grade Language Arts classes.
Gender Queer sexually explicit images (removed Aug. 2022, due to new law).
Flamer sexually explicit images; (removed Aug 2022, due to new law).
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic sexually explicit images (lost; taken out of the library database because of the new law).
*Internment tells the fictional, futuristic story of Muslims held in concentration camps here in the U.S. There are 54 instances of profanity, including the f word. It is on Rockwood's approved reading list and has been recommended to 8th graders in their Language Arts classes. The negative reviews about this book say it's full of left wing talking points and can be read here.
It Feels Good To Be Yourself book on gender identity that is in nearly every Rockwood elementary school.
*Last Exit to Normal tells the story of a teenager whose dad discovers he's gay and leaves his family for another man. It's on Rockwood's list of approved reading for classes. You can read about the book here.
Lawn Boy references a 4th grade boy giving oral sex to another 4th grade boy. At Rockwood Summit High School.
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human sexually explicit images; removed Aug. 2022, due to new law.
Living Dead Girl Common sense media says it features sadistic, sexual, physical and emotional torture of a child on nearly every page. At Marquette High School.
*Monday's Not Coming includes sexually explicit content. It's on Rockwood's list of books approved for class reading. It has been recommended to 8th grade Language Arts students.
You can hear parents read excerpts from the book at a school board meeting in Virginia, here. Several of the excerpts they read are from this book, with more explicit excerpts later in the video.
Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race elementary school book that says white people decided they're better than everybody else; removed by principal.
*Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and, You the theme is that our country is racist. It is on Rockwood's approved class reading list and was a Rockwood One Read book, which means it was recommended for everyone in the district to read.
The Handmaid's Tale, The Graphic Novel sexually explicit images; removed Aug. 2022, due to new law.
*The Hate U Give a white police officer shoots and kills a Black teen during a traffic stop, 300 instances of profanity, including F the police. Also, drugs, mature situations.
It is on Rockwood's list of books that are approved for class reading and parents say it was recommended to 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in their Language Arts classes, which means Rockwood suggests it to kids as young as 11 years old.
The Haters sexually explicit content, approximately 500 instances of profanity. In Eureka High School, Lafayette, and, Rockwood Summit.
This Book Is Gay sexually explicit images. Tells readers how to perform sex acts and presents a guide to all aspects of homosexuality, including sex and dating, and includes a glossary of terms. As of August, 2023, it was still in Eureka High School, Marquette High School, and, Rockwood Summit.
Due to images of pages that were shared in reviews on Amazon.com, a parent alerted Rockwood that this book was in Rockwood's libraries illegally. Rockwood started removing it from school library shelves on August 21, 2023. You can see the images/reviews here.
*This is My America a Black teen is wrongly accused of murder while his Black father waits to be executed for a murder his family says he didn't commit. The theme is that our country and its judicial system are racist. On Rockwood's approved class reading list and was read in 9th grade Language Arts classes.
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"CHOICE"?
Rockwood has dismissed parent concerns by saying students *choose* to read these books.
PARENTS SAY: DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A CHOICE
This is the list Rockwood teachers are supposed to choose from when offering books to your middle schooler or high schooler: Approved for reading in Rockwood; grades 6-12. Some of the above books are on this list and recommended by teachers.