North Carolina county board of education bans ‘Invisible Man’ from school libraries.

First published in 1952 (click here) and immediately hailed as a masterpiece, Invisible Man is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison's nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be.

As he journeys from the Deep South to the streets and basements of Harlem, from a horrifying "battle royal" where black men are reduced to fighting animals, to a Communist rally where they are elevated to the status of trophies, Ralph Ellison's nameless protagonist ushers readers into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh and even hilarious relief. Suspenseful and sardonic, narrated in a voice that takes in the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, Invisible Man is one of the most audacious and dazzling novels of our century.

Randolph County in North Carolina is littered with problems, including high drug abuse rates. The county is over 90% Caucasian. There are 6.1% Black Americans. Those children, young people and adults victimized by this act of hatred have the right to be proud of their heritage and exonerated from the hate expressed to them by their Board of Education.

Mr. Ellison is an American Author. He should be held in endearment and not ridiculed.

The current unemployment rate in Randolph County, NC is 9.1%; one of the highest in the nation. The politicians are seeking to distract from that by enforcing hatred, bigotry and racism. This is the Board of Education. These are children and young people they are expressing hatred toward. Those young people's lives are now at risk. 

Someone needs to seek justice regarding this act. The book needs to replaced immediately and returned to the book shelves. Somewhere along the timeline of the school system this American author was valued and endeared. That esteem needs to be returned.

Published time: September 18, 2013 21:52
A central North Carolina school district (click here) voted to remove Ralph Ellison’s “Invisible Man” from county school libraries this week.
The Randolph County Board of Education voted 5-2 Monday to suppress the seminal 1952 work on the oppressive social climate that African Americans faced in the early 20th century.

The book was originally flagged by the parent of an 11th grader at Randleman High School, who found the language and sexual content of the book objectionable.

Despite recommendations against outlawing the book from libraries by school- and district-level committees, the Board of Education voted unanimously in favor of a ban.

Those who voted in support of the book’s removal were Board Chair Tommy McDonald and members Tracy Boyles, Gary Cook, Matthew Lambeth, and Gary Mason. Voting against the action were Board Vice Chair Emily Coltrane and member Todd Cutler...