Stephen King’s ‘Different Seasons’ Banned From High School Library

Stephen King’s non-horror anthology Different Seasons was recently pulled from a library in a California school district, according to the Los Angeles Times. However, the actions of one 17-year-old high school senior have helped reverse the decision for the time being.

A rape scene in the novella collection reportedly prompted a parental complaint. In order to address the issue, officials at Rocklin High School put together a committee to decide whether or not Different Seasons should remain on library shelves. After a vote, it was determined that the book should be effectively banned from the school.

However, senior Amanda Wong explained that she was the only person to read the entire anthology from cover to cover. She was also the only individual who didn’t have a problem with Different Seasons or the themes and issues it tackles.

“I thought it was completely wrong of them to do that,” explained to CBS. “I was really upset. Although I understand this parent’s concerns — I wouldn’t want my little brother reading this — I don’t believe it’s the school’s right to take the entire book out of [the] library just over that.”

In order to get the book back on shelves, the teenager took her case to the superintendent. Stephen King’s novella collection was ultimately returned to the Rocklin High School library while a district-wide committee decides whether or not the book is offensive enough to permanently remove.

Different Seasons contains a number of Stephen King’s more popular non-horror stories, including Apt Pupil, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Body, the latter of which would later become the film Stand By Me.

According to the American Library Association’s list of frequently challenged book, Stephen King’s novels Cujo, Carrie, and The Dead Zone made the list between 1990 and 2000. Presently, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series tops the list.

Do you think Stephen King’s Different Seasons should be banned from high school libraries?