Bastard out of California
Artist: Dorothy Allison
Year: 2012
Date of Action: June, 2012
Region:
Location: Fremont, California
Subject: Explicit Sexuality, Political/Economic/Social Opinion, Violence
Medium: Literature
Confronting Bodies: Board of Education
Description of Artwork: Allison's novel tells the tale of 13 year old Ruth, a girl born out of wedlock in rural California. She endures abuse from her grandmother mother's new husband, all while attempting to get "illegitimate" scrubbed off of her birth certificate.
The Incident: Board of Education members attempted to remove "Bastard out of California" from the school system's AP English curriculum for "dark themes" such as physical and sexual abuse.
Results of Incident: NCAC sent the Board of Education a letter demanding the overturning of the book ban; however, "Bastard Out of California" was removed from Fremont curricula.
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