By David Guterson

Like sands through the hourglass, these are snows falling on cedars. This story is so full of racial drama and the sex!

Banned

#33 on Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

1997 - Washington - Challenged in Snohomish School District by parents who acknowledged literary value but complained about sexual content including intercourse and masturbation as well as language made it inappropriate for high school students.

1999 - Texas - Removed from classrooms and a library in Boerne Independent High School because of depictions of violence, sex, and racial bigotry; later returned

2001 - Washington - 150 South Kitsap parents claimed the book was pornography and the school board admitted it contained sexual content and profanity, banning the book. The town opposed the ban.

2003-4 - California - Challenged but retained in Modesto for sexual content and scenes of war.

2007 - Ontario, Canada - Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board removed the book from shelves and reading lists pending review due to an anonymous complaint via letter about sexual content and language

2007-8 - Idaho - Part of a five book challenge in Coeur d’Alene School District for sexual references

2011 - Washington - Retained in college-level classes at Richland high schools. Teachers said the book was selected for the curriculum 12 years ago because it deals with prejudice against Japanese-Americans in the Pacific Northwest during and shortly after World War II.