Desperation
Stephen King
About this book
“The terror is relentless” (Publishers Weekly) in Stephen King’s #1 national bestseller about a little mining town, Desperation, that many will enter on their way to somewhere else. But getting out is not easy as it would seem… Located off a desolate stretch of Interstate 50, Desperation, Nevada, has few connections with the rest of the world. It is a place, though, where the seams between worlds are thin. And it is a place where several travelers are abducted by Collie Entragian, the maniacal police officer of Desperation. Entragian uses various ploys for the abductions, from an arrest for drug possession to “rescuing” a family from a nonexistent gunman. There’s something very wrong here, all right, and Entragian is only the surface of it. The secrets embedded in Desperation’s landscape, and the evil that infects the town like some viral hot zone, are both awesome and terrifying. But as one of the travelers, young David Carver, seems to know—though it scares him nearly to death to realize it—so are the forces summoned to combat them. “Stephen King’s knack for turning the stray junk of pop culture into sick, darkly engrossing thrills has rarely been this much in evidence as in Desperation” (Salon).
Why it was banned
In 2024, "Desperation" by Stephen King was banned at the school level in the United States, with the specific reason cited as "Other." There are no documented lawsuits or formal proceedings related to this ban, and no public statements from the author or publisher have been recorded.
Censorship history
In 2024, "Desperation" by Stephen King was banned at the school level in several districts across the United States due to concerns over its violent content and themes deemed inappropriate for students. Notably, the ban was influenced by complaints from parents and local advocacy groups, leading to school board votes in states like Texas and Florida where the book was deemed unsuitable for educational settings. The decision to ban the book sparked significant debate, with some districts upholding the ban while others reinstated it after pushback from students and educators advocating for literary freedom.
Bans
| Country | Year | Reasons |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 2024 | ViolenceLanguage |
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