CBS News
See the full list of 97 books parents tried to ban from Beaufort, South Carolina school library shelves
Nearly 100 books were temporarily pulled from school library shelves in South Carolina’s Beaufort County; most of the books were eventually returned after a review.
The ban campaign kicked off when two county residents, one of them a parent and former member of Moms for Liberty — a conservative nonprofit that advocates for “parental rights” — filed complaints. They presented a list of 97 books they alleged didn’t belong on school bookshelves.
Where did the 97 books on the list come from?
The list of books originated from a site called BookLooks, founded two years ago by a Florida nurse who is a former member of Moms for Liberty. She said volunteers rate books on the site from 0-5 using BookLooks’ standards, including for “explicit sexual nudity” and “gender ideologies.” Each rating includes a count of how many times words that it judges to be obscene are used.
A Beaufort County parent discovered that 96 books with ratings of 3 or higher from the BookLooks list were available in county public schools and wrote the school system to complain in October 2022. Another resident added a 97th book to the list. A small number of other parents and residents spoke publicly in favor of the proposed book bans.
The school board’s procedure called for the challenged books to be left on the shelves while they were reviewed. However, the district superintendent feared violence after getting the list, because a few people were threatening to have librarians and other educators arrested. Within days, he had the books temporarily pulled from school library shelves while they were reviewed.
How did Beaufort County decide which books to ban and which to return?
The county began efforts to review the books by asking Beaufort residents to read all the books on the list. Over the course of a year, 146 parents and community members — along with teachers, librarians and educators — discussed, deliberated and voted.
The final book panels met in late November and their decisions were approved during a school board meeting in December. Most of the 97 books were cleared, with some only returned to high school libraries. The review team discovered one of the 97 books on the list had never been on school library shelves to begin with.
Full list of the five banned books and the 92 that were returned
- “A Lesson in Vengeance” by Victoria Lee – returned to high school shelves
- “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson- returned to high school shelves
- “All the Things We Do in the Dark” by Saundra Mitchell – returned for all levels
- “Almost Perfect” by Brian Katcher – returned to high school shelves
- “Ask the Passengers” by A.S. King – returned for grades 6-12
- “Beautiful” by Amy Reed – banned
- “Boy Girl Boy” by Ron Koertge – returned for all levels
- “Breathless” by Jennifer Niven – was not reviewed because there were never any copies in school libraries.
- “Burned” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “City of Heavenly Fire” by Cassandra Clare – returned for grades 6-12
- “Clockwork Princess” by Cassandra Clare – returned to high school shelves
- “Collateral” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Confess: A Novel” by Colleen Hoover – returned to high school shelves
- “Cool for the Summer” by Dahlia Adler – returned for all levels
- “Court of Frost and Starlight” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Court of Mist and Fury” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah Maas returned to high school shelves
- “Court of Wings and Ruin” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Crank” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Damsel” by Elana Arnold – returned for grades 6-12
- “Eleanor and Park” by Rainbow Rowell – returned to high school shelves
- “Empire of Storms” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” by Jonathan Safran Foer – returned to high school shelves
- “Fade” by Lisa McMann – returned to high school shelves
- “Fallout” by Ellen Hopkins- returned for all levels
- “Felix Ever After” by Kacen Callender – returned to high school shelves
- “Flamer” by Mike Curato – returned to high school shelves
- “Forever for a Year” by B.T. Gottfred – banned
- “Foul is Fair” by Hannah Capin – returned to high school shelves
- “Gabi, A Girl in Pieces” by Isabel Quintero – returned for all levels
- “Glass” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Go Ask Alice” by Anonymous – returned to high school shelves
- “Grit” by Gillian French – returned to high school shelves
- “Grl2grl” by Julie Anne Peters – returned for all levels
- “Grown” by Tiffany D. Jackson – returned for grades 6-12
- “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie – returned for grades 6-12
- “Hopeless” by Colleen Hoover – returned to high school shelves
- “I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter” by Erika L. Sanchez – returned to high school shelves
- “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson – returned for grades 6-12
- “Identical” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Impulse” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “It Ends With Us” by Colleen Hoover – banned
- “Kingdom of Ash” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo – returned to high school shelves
- “Layla” by Colleen Hoover – returned for all levels
- “Leah on the Offbeat” by Becky Albertalli – returned for grades 6-12
- “Living Dead Girl” by Elizabeth Scott – returned to high school shelves
- “Lolita” by Vladimir Nabokov – returned to high school shelves
- “Looking for Alaska” by John Green – returned to high school shelves
- “Lucky” by Alice Sebold – returned to high school shelves
- “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews – returned to high school shelves
- “Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur – returned to high school shelves
- “Monday’s Not Coming” by Tiffany D. Jackson – returned for grades 6-12
- “More Happy Than Not” by Adam Silvera – returned to high school shelves
- “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult – banned
- “November 9” by Colleen Hoover – returned to high school shelves
- “Oryx and Crake” by Margaret Atwood – returned to high school shelves
- “Out of Darkness” by Ashley Hope Perez – returned for all levels
- “Perfect” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Push” by Sapphire – returned to high school shelves
- “Ramona Blue” by Julie Murphy – returned to high school shelves
- “Red at the Bone” by Jacqueline Woodson – returned to high school shelves
- “Rumble” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Scars” by Cheryl Rainfield – returned for grades 6-12
- “Shine” by Lauren Myracle – returned for grades 6-12
- “Skin” by Donna Jo Napoli – returned to high school shelves
- “Smoke” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Sold” by Patricia McCormick – returned for grades 6-12
- “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson – returned for all levels
- “Stamped” (AD, YA, YD, and for Kids versions) by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds returned for grades 6-12
- “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein – returned for all levels
- “The Black Flamingo” by Dean Atta – returned for all levels
- “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison – returned to high school shelves
- “The Carnival at Bray” by Jessie Ann Foley returned to high school shelves
- “The Duff” by Kody Keplinger – returned for all levels
- “The Female of the Species” by Mindy McGinnis – returned to high school shelves
- “The Fixer” by Bernard Malamud – returned for all levels
- “The Freedom Writers Diary” by The Freedom Writers, with Erin Gruwell – returned for grades 6-12
- “The Handmaid’s Tale” by Margaret Atwood – returned for all levels
- “The Haters” by Jesse Andrews – banned
- “The Infinite Moment of Us” by Lauren Myracle – returned to high school shelves
- “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini – returned to high school shelves
- “The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold – returned for grades 6-12
- “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky – returned to high school shelves
- “The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo – returned to high school shelves
- “The Truth About Alice” by Jennifer Mathieu – returned to high school shelves
- “The Upside of Unrequited” by Becky Albertalli – returned to high school shelves
- “The You I’ve Never Known” by Ellen Hopkins returned to high school shelves
- “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher – returned for all levels
- “This One Summer” by Mariko Tamaki – returned to high school shelves
- “Tilt” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Tower of Dawn” by Sarah Maas – returned to high school shelves
- “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins – returned to high school shelves
- “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen – returned for all levels
- “Wintergirls” by Lauire Halse Anderson – returned for grades 6-12
- “Yolk” by Mary H. K .Choi – returned to high school shelves
- “YOLO” by Lauren Myracle – returned for all levels
Editor’s note: 97 Books Producer Henry Schuster is a resident of Beaufort County, South Carolina. He participated on one of the book review committees before beginning to produce the report for 60 Minutes.
Thanks for reading CBS NEWS.
Create your free account or log in
for more features.
Getty Images
Gold has long served as a safe-haven asset for investors during times of economic uncertainty and market volatility, which is a large part of why it has been so popular over the past year. Thanks to that uptick in gold interest, the price of gold has been climbing throughout much of 2024 — hitting multiple record highs and surpassing $2,700 per ounce at one point late in the year. That price trend has been shifting lately, though, and over the last few weeks, there have been significant fluctuations in gold prices, with the price of gold dropping over the last few days in particular.
With gold’s price currently sitting at under $2,650 per ounce, today’s lower price is prompting many investors to reassess their positions in gold-related investments — including gold exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These investment vehicles, which track the price of gold without requiring physical ownership of the precious metal, have become increasingly popular among retail and institutional investors alike. Much of the appeal of gold ETFs lies in their simplicity and accessibility. Unlike physical gold, these funds can be easily bought and sold through standard brokerage accounts, offering investors a convenient way to gain exposure to gold price movements.
But while the current price dip could present a good opportunity to buy into gold at a discount, it makes sense to remain cautious about any type of investment right now. So is investing in gold ETFs still a good strategy now that the price of gold is slipping?
Find out how to add gold to your portfolio today.
Are gold ETFs a good investment now that the price is dropping?
When gold prices drop, it can create opportunities for investors to buy at a lower cost, potentially increasing their returns if prices rebound. Gold ETFs provide an easy way to capitalize on this strategy. Unlike physical gold, ETFs can be traded on stock exchanges just like equities, offering liquidity and convenience. They also eliminate the need for storage and security concerns associated with owning physical gold.
There are also a few other reasons to consider investing in gold ETFs despite the current price drops. For starters, gold ETFs offer an efficient way to implement dollar-cost averaging during price dips. By regularly investing fixed amounts, investors can potentially lower their average purchase price over time. This strategy can be particularly effective during periods of price volatility, allowing investors to accumulate positions at various price points.
And while gold prices may be dipping now, it’s unlikely that today’s lower prices will remain the status quo over the longer term. Gold prices have historically rebounded and grown over longer time horizons, so while the current price may be lower than it was a few weeks ago, it could represent a good entry point for long-term investors. That’s particularly true if the fundamental factors supporting gold prices remain intact, such as inflation concerns, currency devaluation risks and global economic uncertainties.
However, investors should consider that there are risks to investing in gold ETFs. One issue is that gold ETFs are subject to market volatility and may not provide immediate returns — so it’s important to make any investing decision based on your unique investment goals and strategy. Gold also generates no income or dividends, making it a pure price appreciation play. The opportunity cost of holding gold ETFs also becomes more significant in high-rate environments where yield-generating investments become more attractive.
Diversify your investments by adding gold to your portfolio now.
Who should invest in gold ETFs now?
While investing in gold ETFs may not make sense for all investors right now, it could be particularly suitable for certain types. For example, investors who need to diversify their portfolios may find gold ETFs attractive, as gold has historically shown a low correlation with traditional asset classes like stocks and bonds. So, the current price drop could present an opportunity to achieve portfolio diversification at more favorable prices.
Risk-conscious investors who are looking to hedge against inflation, currency risks or geopolitical uncertainties might also want to consider adding gold ETF exposure. After all, with the uptick in inflation over the last few months, gold’s historical role as a store of value remains relevant right now, despite the potential for short-term price volatility. Long-term investors might also find current prices attractive in terms of building strategic positions.
However, short-term traders and income-focused investors may want to exercise caution when it comes to gold ETFs. Gold’s price volatility can make short-term trading challenging, while the lack of yield may not align with income-oriented investment objectives.
The bottom line
The current drop in gold prices presents an intriguing opportunity for investors who are interested in gold ETFs, but it’s essential to weigh the potential risks and rewards of this type of gold investing carefully. Gold ETFs offer a convenient and liquid way to gain exposure to gold, making them a viable option for many investors, but they are just one of several ways to invest in this precious metal. Whether or not gold ETFs are the right choice for you will ultimately depend on your investment objectives, risk tolerance and overall portfolio strategy, so before you buy in, do your homework to make sure your decision aligns with your long-term goals.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
