Once Again, Texas Leads the Way

Banned from Texas prisons: John Grisham, 'Precious', Guns & Ammo magazine… and a naked baby Jesus – Telegraph Blogs: "When a book arrives at a Texas prison mailroom, an employee first checks the database to see if the book is already prohibited. If not, said Shelby, ‘he’ll flip it over and read the back’. If that provides insufficient information to make a decision, ‘they scan through it looking for key words’ or pictures that would disqualify the publication.

‘You can pretty much tell by reading the first few pages,’ she said. ‘We rely on them to use their judgment.’
So, what has been banned as a result of this strategy?
Precious, a story of the struggle of the black working class in the USA, which has been adapted into a film currently being excellently reviewed over here, is not allowed.

Nor are books by Harold Robbins, Pat Conroy, Hunter S Thompson, Dave Barry and James Patterson; and John Grisham has had four titles banned in the last five years."

Dave Barry is a noted subversive, but a nice guy like Hunter Thompson? I don't get it.

Hat tip to Beth Foxwell.