The Cobb County School District announced Thursday that six more sexually explicit books have been removed from library shelves, bringing to 26 the number of titles that have been withdrawn over the last year.
Superintendent Chris Ragsdale said during a Cobb Board of Education work session Thursday that the most recent removals, like the others, were deemed inappropriate for school children.
They include five books by fantasy author Sarah J. Maas:
- “A Court of Wings and Ruin”
- “A Court of Thorns and Roses”
- “A Court of Mist and Fury”
- “A Court of Frost and Starlight
- “A Court of Silver Flames”
The other book is “Iron Fire” by David Ball, who writes historical fiction.
The work of both authors is aimed at young adult readers, although Maas’ books are also read by teenagers.
A Maas book was temporarily banned in Charlotte-Mecklenberg (N.C.) schools in late 2023 after a parental complaint.
“A Court of Mist and Fury” was among the 10 “most challenged books” for 2022 according to the American Library Association, covering library, school, and university materials and services.
A recent review of Maas’ work at Entertainment Weekly acknowledged the amount of sexual content in her books, but argues that “the reality of life is that passion, desire, lust, and love all occur alongside sadness, death, and war. Why are so many hell-bent on framing books that acknowledge that reality as lesser titles just because they’re popular with teenage girls (who, frankly, deserve more credit for driving pop culture and taste)?”
Ragsdale’s announcement came just before local citizens group was to hold a press conference “about pornography in Cobb schools.”
“I encourage you, especially those who defend this content, to read the excerpts before doing so,” he said in prepared remarks at the work session.
“Google them. Use community web sites. Go to the book store. Go to the public library. I trust you will conclude that like rated R movies children should not be provided unrestricted access to all media.”
He said the Cobb school district has more than a million total media assets and “will remain broadly inclusive of the diverse individuals, groups, stories, and experiences of our nation.
If parents wish to introduce their children to such subjects outside of schooltime, Ragsdale said, they are free to do so.
But as “a public school serving over 100,000 students, we are not going to impose that choice on other people’s children.”
Related:
- Cobb schools: Walton HS bomb report ‘not an active threat’
- Cobb school board chairman responds to safety concerns
- Dickerson MS student facing criminal charges for threats
- Walton, Wheeler students headline initial 2025 National Merit semifinalists
- Tritt ES staff member hospitalized after HVAC fire
- Cobb teachers train on virtual STEM prisms tool
- Here’s what you didn’t hear about Cobb school book removals
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