photo credit: Shandra Back/KRCB News
Author Neal Shusterman (top right) virtually addresses Windsor High School students after
controversy and school board opposition threatened to stop the teaching of his YA novel Scythe.

Late last year, the young adult book Scythe was denied approval for use in a public high school English class by the Windsor School Board, prompting censorship debates and a strong community response.

The decision was later overturned — and this week, the book's author spoke directly with Windsor students. 

Author Neal Shusterman visited Windsor High School via zoom to talk with students about his novel Scythe.

It's a story set in a future where natural death has been eliminated and a select group is tasked with choosing who dies to keep society in balance.

In December, Windsor's school board denied approval to English teacher Julie Forrest to use the book as part of her 10th‑grade program for reluctant readers.

Board members said they read Shusterman's book, but those who voted no said the young adult novel was too triggering for the teenage students.

During Wednesday's classroom visit, Bill Adams, one of the board members who voted to approve the book's use asked if Shusterman had faced challenges to his book before.

While Shusterman asked to keep his remarks to the students private, he did share a statement with KRCB News about the ordeal.

"I consider myself to be a responsible author," Shusterman said. "I consider myself in partnership with parents and educators, and if someone has a problem with Scythe or Unwind or any of my books, I'm happy to discuss it."

"Read the book and we can talk about it," Shusterman said. "The problem is people who don't read the book and have no actual interest in what's in the book, they have an agenda. Now when a book is challenged, it has the right to stand up for itself, to speak for itself and face that challenge. Unfortunately, the word challenge more often than not is a euphemism for book banning."

Earlier this year, after strong push back from students and parents, the board reversed its decision, and Forrest began teaching the book in April.

According to the most recent data, California public schools and libraries made 15 attempts to restrict access to books in 2025 — more than double the number in 2016, when the American Library Association began tracking these efforts.

Forrest is a two‑time Windsor teacher of the year, and although she is now teaching Scythe, said she has resigned because of how she was treated during the process.

"I'm all about conversation, but it should be conversation and not I don't know, someone chastising someone else for bringing something forward," Forrest said. "That just doesn't really again sit well with me."

This is her final year with the Windsor School District, and she said she’s unsure what comes next.

"Maybe it's working with libraries associations and working on censorship," Forrest said. "Maybe it's still working with students but not in the same way."

Forrest said she hopes her resignation sends a message, and that the school district can move forward with an open conversation about books, and Forrest said, how to reignite a love of reading for reluctant students.