Out of Darkness
Ashley Hope Pérez
Set in 1930s East Texas against the backdrop of the New London school explosion, this novel tells the forbidden love story between Naomi, a Mexican American girl, and Wash, a Black boy. Pérez unflinchingly depicts the racial violence and segregation of the era.
Why this book is challenged
- •sexually explicit content
- •depictions of sexual abuse
- •racial themes
- •profanity
Challenge History
Orange County School Libraries
Orlando, Florida
Sexually explicit content removed under Florida education law
Spring Branch ISD Libraries
Houston, Texas
Sexually explicit content and depictions of sexual abuse deemed inappropriate for students
Granbury ISD Libraries
Granbury, Texas
Books removed after superintendent targeted titles with LGBTQ+ themes
Leander ISD High School Libraries
Leander, Texas
Sexually explicit content, depictions of sexual abuse, and racial themes
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