Rocklin High School senior Amanda Wong had never read a Stephen King novel until she joined a committee reviewing whether one of his books should be banned from the school's library.

Now, Wong is fighting to ensure "Different Seasons," a collection of King's short stories, remains on the shelves after a parent complained about a graphic rape scene in the short story "Apt Pupil."

"This opens a door to censoring other materials," Wong, 17, said Monday.

Wong was a student representative on a Rocklin High committee that voted to ban "Different Seasons."

Wong was the lone person to vote against banning King's book. She said, at the time of the vote, she was also the only person who had read the entire collection, which includes "Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption," "The Body" and "A Winter's Tale." Three stories were adapted into the movies: "The Shawshank Redemption," "Stand By Me" ("The Body") and "Apt Pupil."

"It's such an important decision; you have to read the entire book," Wong said.

The decision to ban the book came on the heels of the 30th annual Banned Books Week, an effort by the American Library Association, along with publishers, teachers and readers, aimed at "liberating literature."

After the Rocklin High committee voted to ban the book, Wong spoke against the decision at a school district board meeting on Oct. 3. After listening to Wong, Rocklin Unified Superintendent Kevin Brown said he overturned the Rocklin High committee's decision.

"They failed to recognize that there are other high schools in our district, and we need input from all sectors of our district," Brown said.

A districtwide committee will meet today to begin reviewing "Different Seasons." That committee has 30 days to make a decision on whether the book can be offered to high school students.

Brown said in his nearly two decades with the district, Rocklin Unified has never banned a library book or classroom reading material.

"I've read it," Brown said. "I think the book has merit. The committee will be charged with making the final decision."

That decision is being watched by the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom, said the group's assistant director, Angela Maycock.

"Our office has been keeping track of challenges since the 1980s," Maycock said. "It's something we are very concerned about."

Maycock said the stories contained in "Different Seasons" have been publicly challenged a handful of times since it was released in 1982. King's other work, however, has been routinely challenged, Maycock said.

"When there is public attention drawn to these situations, the outpouring of support for individuals to read and think for themselves is very powerful," she said.

Herbert Foerstel, author of a reference guide of banned books in American schools, called the Rocklin's brief decision to ban King's book "absolutely outrageous."

"If a book is assigned and a student is obliged to read it, at least one could make a religious freedom argument and ask for an alternative book to be assigned," Foerstel said. "But remove a book from a library where reading it is voluntary? No one should allow that under any circumstances."

Wong said she is drafting a letter asking that those on the committee reviewing "Different Seasons" read the stories in their entirety.

"Even if the book gets banned, I hope that the process is more carefully done and more public," Wong said. "My biggest concern is that issues like this aren't transparent."

Wong said she recently checked the Rocklin High library shelves for "Different Seasons."

"Someone checked it out," she said.

© Copyright The Sacramento Bee. All rights reserved.

• Read more articles by Melody Gutierrez

Order Reprint