The portion of the book people objected to was when Angelou describes her rape at age eight by her mother's boyfriend. Life is painful at times and Angelou's story shows young people that traumatic experiences can be survived and that people can triumph if they stay strong. Two Mommies by Leslea Newman was available at area libraries. Judy Blume, R. L. Stine, Christopher Pike and Robert Cormier were popular targets. It's ironic that Blume and Pike are very popular with young adults, and Stine's Goosebumps is being praised by some parents for getting previously disinterested children to read.
Bookstores can also be victims of censorship.
Barnes and Nobles was indicted this year by an Alabama grand jury for selling Radiant Identities by Jock Sturges and Age of Innocence by David Hamilton. Both art books were targets of conservative groups' national censorship campaigns. Tennessee also indicted Barnes and Noble on similar charges regarding the works. The store agreed to display the books wrapped in plastic and only on high shelves. The case in Alabama is still in the courts.