Contested book back on school library's shelves
By The Associated Press
01.14.02
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LA MIRADA, California — Sophie's Choice was returned to La Mirada High School's library after a complaint about its sexual content prompted the school to pull William Styron's award-winning novel about a tormented Holocaust survivor.
The book was returned to the library Jan. 10, four months after a parent sent a letter of complaint, said Peter Eliasberg, managing attorney for the Los Angeles office of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.
The ACLU contacted the school after a student told the organization that the book, listed on her contemporary literature class's optional reading list, had been removed from the library.
"We are very pleased the Norwalk-La Mirada High School District has recognized the student's First Amendment rights and returned this classic novel to the school's library so that others will have a chance to read it as well," Eliasberg said Jan. 11. "We appreciate the prompt action."
The American Library Association, National Coalition Against Censorship and a private law firm also contacted the school, Eliasberg said. No legal action was taken.
A message left for the Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District superintendent after business hours Jan. 11 was not immediately returned. An after-hours call to the La Mirada High School principal's office rang unanswered.
School officials had previously defended pulling the book, saying district policy requires that they review any instructional materials parents find objectionable.
Sophie's Choice, published in 1979, won the United States' National Book Award and was made into a movie three years later. Meryl Streep, who portrayed Holocaust survivor Sophie Zawistowska, won a best-actress Academy Award.
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