The Stephen King Novel So Controversial Its Been Out of Print for 20 Years

The Stephen King Novel So Controversial It’s Been Out of Print for 20 Years

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Stephen King has seen his share of controversy over the years, but one of his earliest novels is so contested that it’s not available to buy anymore.

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The Stephen King Novel So Controversial Its Been Out of Print for 20 Years

Stephen King has seen his share of controversy over the years, but one of his earliest novels is so contested that it’s not available to buy anymore. It’s no secret that King’s books often aren’t appropriate for the overly squeamish or faint of heart. Their subject matter is rarely pleasant, and the events that take place within them are often highly disturbing. To be fair, that makes sense, as an author doesn’t earn the nickname “the master of horror” by telling stories about puppies and kittens, at least not ones where they’re happy.

Sometimes though, many people feel King has taken things a bit too far. The most infamous example of this is probably found in IT, one of King’s most beloved stories ever, and a book that has spawned two worthwhile adaptations already. Even those who love IT tend to hate how the child members of the Losers’ Club stop to engage in sexual activity at one point when lost inside the sewers of Derry, which no matter what the intent behind it is just unpleasant and off-putting to read about. Naturally, it hasn’t, and will never be adapted.

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King’s second biggest scandal as a writer revolves around the novel Rage, published in 1977, near the beginning of his career as a novelist. Rage was released under King’s old Richard Bachman pseudonym, but its plot would prove disturbingly prescient.

Why Stephen King’s Rage Is So Controversial

Rage centers on Charlie Decker, a high school senior – in Maine of course – who gets in trouble one too many times, resulting in his expulsion. He then retrieves a gun from his locker, and proceeds to take his algebra class hostage, starting by shooting the teacher. Along the way through the story, other people die or get seriously injured, and some of the hostages end up siding with Charlie, apparently experiencing Stockholm Syndrome. While Rage’s subject matter did raise eyebrows at the time of publication, the book became a source of outrage for many as the years went on, with no less than five separate real-life incidents of school shootings or classroom hostage takings that appeared to be directly inspired by the story.

In all five cases, the perpetrator was found to have owned a copy of Rage, and aspects of their crimes bore a striking resemblance to Charlie’s. The final incident, which took place in late 1997, saw three students shot to death by a classmate who had a copy of Rage in his locker. At that point, Stephen King grew so alarmed that he himself made the call to take Rage out of print, and it has remained unavailable to buy new ever since. Obviously, if someone wants a copy enough, Rage can be found used for a high price, but the chances of a random mentally disturbed teenager getting their hands on it are certainly much lower now. The fact that school shootings, and mass shootings in general, have increased by a tremendous amount in the U.S. since 1997 just further underlines that King made the right decision.

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Link Source : https://screenrant.com/stephen-king-rage-book-school-shooting-controversy-banned

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