Which books has Hanover Schools removed from its libraries?

HANOVER COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- Since 2020, Hanover County Public Schools has removed 125 books from its school libraries, the most of any school division in Virginia. But which books were removed?

According to a report by the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission (JLARC), Hanover Schools have removed more books from its school libraries than any other school division in the Commonwealth, with 125 titles removed.

Among the removed books are many by acclaimed authors, including "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison, "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Orynx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood, and "Slaughterhouse Five" by Kurt Vonnegut.

Other popular titles include "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky, "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher, Sara J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series, as well as "Looking for Alaska" by John Green, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire and "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie, to name a few.

Among others removed include books that center on the LGBTQ experience, including "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by Maia Kobabe, "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson, "GRL2GRL" by Ellen Hopkins and "A queer history of the United States for young people" by Richie Chevat.

Several other removed books discuss the human body and human health, such as "Encyclopedia of the Human Body" by Richard Walker, "Medical Discoveries: Medical Breakthroughs and the People Who Developed Them," "Sexual Health Information for Teens: Health Tips About Sexual Development," edited by Sandra A. Lawton, among others.

The specific content that caused the removal of each book has not been specified by school officials, but according to Hanover County Public Schools, policy is set by the Hanover County School Board, including one regarding the maintenance of school libraries and media centers.

Hanover Schools' policy specifies that books containing sexually explicit content will not be allowed in middle or elementary school libraries.

"No materials that contain sexually explicit content, as defined in § 2.2-2827 of the Code of Virginia, or pervasive vulgarity should be acquired for use at the middle or elementary school level," the policy said.

High school teachers or librarians seeking books containing sexually explicit content "in furtherance of specific educational goals" that are believed to be "educationally suitable" and age-appropriate are required to receive permission from the principal before they are used, according to the policy.

Hanover County Girl Scout Kate Lindley created a "Banned Book Nook" and a "Free-to-Read" app with removed titles to allow students to read them, and earned the "Gold Award," the highest achievement in the Girl Scouts of the USA, for her work promoting literacy.

After Lindley was slated to be recognized by the Hanover County Board of Supervisors during a meeting in 2024, where she detailed information about her project, she claimed the board had censored her summary before the meeting, removing the word "banned" and other parts of the project.

Whitney Welsh, chair of the Hanover County School Board provided the following statement in response to the list of removed books:

On behalf of the School Board, thank you for your inquiry. As is reflected in our adopted policy, the School Board believes in our libraries providing a wide range of age-appropriate materials. The deselection of these books fulfills the will of the School Board, our approved policy, and the accompanying regulation. 

We had many discussions as a Board regarding this topic over several years, the recordings and minutes of which can be found on BoardDocs. We do not have plans to revisit this policy. Hanover County School Board chair Whitney Welsh

A full list of removed books is available below.