The curious incident of the dog in the nighttime banned

Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time won several awards for being an outstanding book upon its release in 2003. But recently in Florida, it was pulled from a high school for being unsuitable for teens.

Students at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee were supposed to read the book over their summer holiday but they received notice the book was pulled from the curriculum. The school’s principal Allen Burch said the reason was reached to “give the opportunity for parents to parent.” The controversial decision was made without going through any review process, also violating district bylaws. Speaking to the Tallahassee Democrat, Sarah Hoffman of the National Coalition Against Censorship said, “This case is very startling. A handful of parents are making choices for every other parent in that school. There is a reason policies are in place – to protect educators and the decisions they make.”

According to the Tallahassee Democrat, the main issues were the books content and language. The first person novel follows a 15-year-old genius with behavioural difficulties suggesting he is on the Autism spectrum. He investigates the murder of his neighbour’s dog. The book features a colourful array of swear words, including the f-bomb 28 times as well as references to atheism. One parent who’s seemingly clueless to how teens speak stated in an email that, “as a Christian, and as a female” she was offended by the book.

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Upon finding out about the banning, in an email to The Guardian author Mark Haddon stated he was “puzzled and fascinated”. He also stated the decision was ironic because the book’s protagonist is unaware that swearing is offensive due to his behavioural problems. The banning seems to be just another very typically Floridian occurrence. According to Banned Books Week, Florida is one of the top states for banning books under the guise of “Christian values”.