More than 50 years after a North Dakota school district burned copies of Kurt Vonnegut’s ‘Slaughterhouse-Five,’ the anti-war novel is still being censored

The battle over the novel offers a window into America’s long-running fight over what students should be allowed to read.

By: Susan Farrell, College of Charleston, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: October 2, 2026

Words: 1,484

Last Updated: 2 weeks, 2 days ago

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By Susan Farrell, College of Charleston

Bruce Severy, a full-bearded, idealistic 26-year-old, moved from Southern California in 1973 to the small town of Drake, North Dakota, where he had accepted a job teaching English at the public high school. He, his small family and their menagerie of pets settled into a large, white frame house across from the school.

Severy’s progressive bent showed in the curriculum he taught. Insisting that his students should learn “how …

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