April 24, 2025 — Cobb's commitment to keeping inappropriate material out of school libraries is a process that began last year and will continue to be implemented as necessary. Overall, the District has removed 36 titles from library shelves. 

It is sometimes claimed that the District is "banning" books. This is not at all what is happening. We do not serve candy and soda in our school cafeterias because we believe that healthy foods and balanced meals are what young bodies need to grow. Likewise, healthy and age-appropriate reading materials are necessary for young minds to learn.

"The Cobb County School District is not engaging in book-banning or book-burning," Superintendent Ragsdale has said. "We are following well-established federal and state law and policies and practices of this District that have been with us for years, if not decades. Instruction in this District is built around Georgia state standards, not any individual or group’s political agenda."

"Not only is protecting children from sexually explicit content the best and only appropriate decision, but I also believe it protects decisions that should be made at home by parents," Superintendent Ragsdale continued about the removals. "Our process is not a reflection on the author, the subject, or the literary merit of the book. It is analogous to not giving children unrestricted access to rated-R movies while they are at school."

 

The current list of books removed from Cobb Schools is below. This list will be updated as titles are removed:

Removed in 2025:

April
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis

March
Dead End by Jason Myers

January
Triangles by Ellen Hopkins
A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard

Removed in 2024:

October
Summer of Owen Todd
More Happy Than Not
This Book Is Gay
We Know It Was You
The Sun and Her Flowers
City of Saints and Thieves

September
A Court of Wings and Ruin
A Court of Thorns and Roses
A Court of Mist and Fury
A Court of Frost and Starlight
A Court of Silver Flames
Ironfire

August
Laid
Crank
Tricks
Push
Milk and Honey
It Starts with Us
The Infinite Moment of Us
Casual Vacancy
Identical
Boys Aren't Blue
Juliet Takes a Breath
Monday's Not Coming
City of Thieves 

Removed in 2023:

September
Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl
Flamer
Blankets
It Ends with Us
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Lucky
Thirteen Reasons Why