NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - In Rutherford County, Friday night football games have long brought communities together, with proud traditions at schools like Riverdale High. But this fall, a different kind of clash is taking place off the field — a divisive battle over whether certain books need to be pulled from library shelves.

Since February, the Rutherford County Board of Education has banned 35 books, including well-known young adult novels such as Wicked, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Beloved by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison. These books were available in high school libraries, though none were part of the district’s curriculum.

The book bans were initiated by board member Caleb Tidwell, who flagged the titles as sexually explicit under school board policy and state obscenity laws.