In 2008, Pullman's books were taken from school libraries and public library shelves."One challenge at a school in Winchester, Kentucky was made on the grounds that the book's main character drinks wine and eats poppy with her meals. Another school in Oshkosh, Wisconsin pulled the trilogy because of its "anti-Christian message".
Back in 2009, when Pullman's trilogy became the second-most banned book of the year, ALA's Deborah Caldwell-Stone issued words that two decades later would become a mantra: "We believe parents do have the right to dictate their children's reading, but that right exists for their children alone and should not be extended to others."
Appeasement won the day in the States, where Pullman's final book in the trilogy was published with large segments removed from paragraphs. In a scene where Lyra is expressing sexual maturity as well as new and different physiological reactions, the US edition removes parts of Lyra’s experience and how she feels. Another removed scene depicted Father Gomez taking out his rifle and watching Lyra and Will through the scope as they engage in a sexual act. The US edition removes any details that go into further detail about his thoughts. It is unclear why these were removed other than the description of how Father Gomez watches the two of them can be interpreted in a sexual nature.
All this means that those of us who read these books -- usually purchased from bookstores -- were wholly unaware that they were reading a censored version.
