A censorship watchdog has warned that novels by shamed comedian Bill Cosby are vanishing from school libraries.
Educators are – perhaps unsurprisingly – uncomfortable with the idea of their pupils reading titles from Cosby’s “Little Bill” series after numerous rape allegations him.
The American Library Association named the books among its annual list of titles at risk of being censored, placing it 9th in the top 10.
Bill’s adventures have been much-loved reading tools for years, and were also the basis for an Emmy-winning Nickelodeon cartoon series.
However, the titles have clearly taken on the taint of scandal since scores of women began making allegations of sexual assault against Cosby.
The comedian is due to stand trial later this year in Pennsylvania on claims that he drugged and molested a student at Temple University in 2004.
Claims by many other women stretch back beyond the statute of limitations, so are unlikely ever to be contested in court, but have been aired extensively in the media.
Officials at the ALA said the turn against the titles was remarkable because it was not based on what is in the books, but the person who wrote them.
James LaRue, who leads the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, told CNN: “I think it’s our fascination with celebrity. If we love the person we love everything about him.
“If we hate the person we hate everything about him. We don’t seem to be able to separate the message from the messenger.”
