Minnesota school's ban on graphic novel draws free-speech protests

Groups including National Coalition Against Censorship say decision to pull This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki threatens principle ‘essential to freedom’

The withdrawal of an award-winning graphic novel from a school in Minnesota over its use of “profanities” has drawn a stern rebuke from free-speech groups, who warned that the ban opens the door to removing classic works such as The Catcher in the Rye and Beloved.

This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki tells of a girl who visits a beach house every summer with her parents, but who this time finds herself caught up in the world of older teenagers, while her parents won’t stop fighting. Critically acclaimed – the New York Times called it “a lovely book” – the coming-of-age story is also a bestseller.

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