Alex Haley's Roots has been returned to school libraries in Knox County, Tennessee. The decision follows a brief ban under the state's Age-Appropriate Materials Act.
The book was restored this Tuesday after the county's legal team could not agree on whether the law required its removal. A scene involving sexual assault on an enslaved person had prompted the initial ban a few weeks earlier. Carly Harrington, a spokesperson for Knox County Schools, said the passage was deemed not age-appropriate. National, international, and local attention helped reverse the decision. The restoration comes amid broader debates over library access in the region. Officials noted that broader themes or historical significance were not factors under the law.
