Portugal. The Man Offers Banned Books To Alaskan Students

Alaskan natives Portugal. The Man have taken a stand against recent efforts by a local school board in the northern state to ban five allegedly “controversial” literary classics from the curriculum.

The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School Board voted 5-2 on Wednesday (April 29th) to remove the books due to their “controversial” nature. School board Vice President Jim Hart told NBC News they contained content that could potentially harm students.

The books are F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, Joseph Heller's Catch-22, Tim O'Brien's The Things They Carried and Maya Angelou's I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.

Firmly opposing the decision to ban the books, Portugal. The Man has pledged to personally donate copies directly to those students who would like to read them.

The band stated, “These titles are often considered staples for junior and senior English classes across the country. We believe this decision is narrow-minded and un-patriotic, and we are not OK with it. That is why we are putting out a standing offer that if any student/parent in the Mat-Su Borough School District wants a copy of one or more of these books, we will mail them to you.”

Students who wish to receive a free copy of one or more of the banned books can contact sticksandstones@portugaltheman.com.