OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor on Thursday appeared to backtrack on his office’s review of more than 50 books to see if any violated the state’s obscenity law.
“Our office is not investigating this matter at this time,” O’Connor said in a statement released Thursday. “I understand that there is a bill that has been introduced in this new session to address the concerns of these parents.”
O’Connor’s office said Wednesday it was reviewing the books and provided a list of more than 50 books under review.
Some books on the list are classics, such as “Of Mice and Men” and “Lord of the Flies.”
The list also includes “Gender Queer: A Memoir” and “The Every Body Book: The LGBTQ+ Inclusive Guide for Kids about Sex, Gender, Bodies, and Families.”
Online media outlet The Frontier first reported the story earlier this week.
“There is no ongoing book review, just standard citizen complaint handling,” said Madelyn Sheriff, a spokeswoman for O’Connor.
O’Connor said in a statement Thursday that he had received complaints from several parents about books they deemed obscene.
“I recommended that they take their objections to the school boards,” O’Connor said. “I also recommended that they discuss with the legislature how Oklahoma law defines ‘obscenity’.”
O’Connor said his office would continue to monitor the situation and intervene if any laws were found to have been broken.
We asked the sheriff what changed between Wednesday and Thursday.
“It turned into something bigger than it is,” she said.
She said O’Connor’s office assesses and reviews all complaints submitted by citizens.
“There’s just no investigation,” she said.
Gallery: Books reviewed by Oklahoma attorney general’s office after obscenity complaints
“A is for Activist”, by Innosanto Nagara
Update
“The Benefits of Being a Wallflower”, by Stephen Chbosky
Update
“Gender Queer: A Memoir”, by Maia Kobabe
Update
Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Update
“Forever” by Judy Blume
Update
“Queer: A Graphic History”, by Meg-John Barker and Julie Scheele
Update
“Be Gay, Do Comics!” by The Nib
Update
“Two Boys Kissing” by David Levithan
Update
“Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts)”, by LC Rosen
Update
“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison
Update
“Bad for You”, by Abbi Glines
Update
“Before I Fall” by Lauren Oliver
Update
“George”, by Alex Gino
Update
“Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson
Update
“Between Shades of Grey”, by Ruta Sepetys
Update
“For Black Girls Like Me”, by Mariama Lockington
Update
“You Should See Me in a Crown”, by Leah Johnson
Update
“On Thin Ice” by Michael Northrop
Update
“The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein”, by Kiersten White
Update
“Fairest: The Lunar Chronicles: The Levana Story”, by Marissa Meyer
Update
“The House of Furies”, by Madeleine Roux
Update
“I Was There” by Gayle Forman
Update
“Hold Me Closer” by Will Grayson
Update
“Anything”, Michel Houellebecq
Update
“Dear Evan Hansen”, by Val Emmich and Steven Levenson
Update
“The Beautiful Bones”, by Alice Sebold
Update
“Symptoms of Being Human”, by Jeff Garvin
Update
“Whale Talk” by Chris Crutcher
Update
“Red White and Royal Blue”, by Casey McQuiston
Update
“Zenobia”, by Morten Dürr
Update
“Burnt” by Ellen Hopkins
Update
Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Update
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”, by Alvin Schwartz
Update
Infantous by Elana Arnold
Update
“Broken Things” by Lauren Oliver
Update
“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian”, by Sherman Alexie
Update
“All American Boys” by Brendan Kiely and Jason Reynolds
Update
“The Hate You Give”, by Angie Thomas
Update
“Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher
Update
“In Search of Alaska” by John Green
Update
“Bless Me, Ultima”, by Rudolfo Anaya
Update
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Update
“The Chocolate War”, by Robert Cormier
Update
“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, by Maya Angelou
Update
“Lord of the Flies”, by William Golding
Update
“Bridge to Terabithia”, by Katherine Paterson
Update
“Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck
Update
“A Court of Frost and Starlight”, by Sarah Maas
Update
“Suicide Notes” by Michael Thomas Ford
Update
“By the Time You Read This I’ll Be Dead”, by Julie Anne Peters
Update
“Milk and Honey” by Rupi Kaur
Update
Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now
Update
Check out our latest digital-only offer and subscribe now: Tulsaworld.com/subscribe
“Two Can Keep a Secret”, by Karen McManus
Update
The small town of Echo Ridge is perfect, but it hides secrets. And before school even started for Ellery, someone declared homecoming season open, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl disappears.
Mastiff by Tamora Pierce
Update
A heroine named Beka Cooper fights crime in a magical world. This is the third book in a series by a well-known young adult fantasy author.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/gray/LMS4GGRVH5AB5IAHCD22D6S3SA.jpg)