The wave of book bans in schools and libraries across America has been concerning, to say the least. Advocates are currently bracing for an even more pronounced wave of censorship under Trump’s second term. But Tennessee’s already ahead of the curve. To adhere to a new law, libraries are tossing out hundreds of books—including popular manga like Jujutsu Kaisen, Attack on Titan, Akira, and Assassination Classroom.
In 2022, Tennessee’s state legislature passed the Age-Appropriate Materials Act, which requires schools to publish a full list of the books available in their libraries. While an invitation for overreactive parents to spend multiple afternoons Googling, the act wasn’t too bad.
But in July 2024, the law was amended in a profound way. It now explicitly bans any books “containing nudity or describes or depicts sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence or sadomasochistic abuse.” Books which appeal to “prurient interest”—ie, books which could be considered arousing—are also banned.
Does figuring out what might bring about “prurient interest” in a 12-year-old, or where the limits of depictions of “sexual excitement” lay, seem vague as hell? Absolutely. What’s worse, it’s up to the individual libraries and schools to decide which books fall underneath these categories—which, obviously, is a whole lot of extra work for librarians, who are already receiving undue harassment from parents and school boards.
What does it mean for manga?
As reported by Anime News Network, at least two Tennessean school districts have included major manga titles among the purges mandated by the new constrictions of the Age-Appropriate Materials Act. On October 24, Wilson County Schools tossed out 400 titles, including the entirety of Attack on Titan, Jujutsu Kaisen, Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure, Hunter x Hunter, The Promised Neverland, Akira, Black Butler, and many more.
This week, Rutherford County Schools followed by pulling 150 titles for review, including the vast majority of Assassination Classroom. Rutherford County Schools made headlines earlier this fall by banning Toni Morrison’s classic novel Beloved.
These manga titles seem to lean a little heavier on the side of violence than “sexual excitement,” but a supporter in Rutherford County also said the books pulled contain “pornographic materials.”
Look, I’m not here to argue that it’s a good idea to let small children read Attack on Titan. But if we’re really the “home of the free,” if older kids want to read it, they should be able to. Obviously. And it is everyone’s absolute right to have their awkward sexual awakening from all the hot bods in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure.
This wave of book bans create an unsettling precedent. At least one other Tennesseean county is using Wilson County School’s list of 400 books as a reference. Who knows what we can expect once Trump becomes president and the flames beneath these book bans are fanned even more.
And so, to all the concerned students wanting to check out manga in piece, I say: a subscription to the Shonen Jump app is only $4 a month. And as for reading Attack on Titan … you’ll find a way.
Published: Nov 27, 2024 05:09 pm