This Lost Stephen King Novel Was Pulled from Circulation for this Tragic Reason
Stephen King is no stranger to controversy. He is quick to speak his mind, which sometimes lands him in hot water. The author has famously shared spicy opinions about the work of other creators, from Stanley Kubrick to Quentin Tarantino. But the controversy at hand has nothing to do with cutting remarks or shade-throwing. No, the backlash from his novel Rage is a different type of controversy entirely.
The 1977 tome, which King published under the pen name Richard Bachman, is inspired by the author’s feelings of alienation and painful experiences as a high school student. King’s inspiration for the novel is pretty universal. Almost everyone who has attended high school understands the complex array of emotions associated with the social caste system and the anguish that accompanies trying to fit in.
Sadly, King’s fictional account of an isolated youngster who channels his pain by shooting a teacher and taking his classmates hostage spoke to a handful of vulnerable readers in unexpected ways. Business Insider reports that multiple young people took actual inspiration from the novel by bringing a firearm to school and perpetrating acts of violence against teachers and classmates. The first documented case of violence believed to be inspired by the time was perpetrated by Jeffrey Lyne Cox in 1988. Several more tragic incidents followed over the years.
Disturbing Parallels
In 1997, Michael Carneal shot 8 classmates (three of whom were fatally wounded) at Heath High School in West Paducah, Kentucky. Authorities discovered the shooter had a copy of Rage in his locker. This was the final straw for King. Recognizing that the novel was a “possible accelerant” of school violence, the author petitioned the publisher to pull the plug on the book. The publisher agreed, and the novel went out of print in the late ‘90s. Rage continued to be offered as part of the collection, The Bachman Books, but the controversial novel was eventually pulled from that compilation as well. Remaining copies of the book now fetch outrageous sums on the secondary market.
It’s important to note that King wrote Rage at a time before school shootings were a reality. He surely never imagined his words would inspire real-life violence. But the author absolutely did the right thing when he asked the publisher to cease production.
Many theorize that the sympathetic portrayal of the lead character, Charlie, is what the misguided individuals who took ‘inspiration’ from the book connected with. On that basis, it’s good to know the tome has been pulled from circulation and isn’t likely to inspire further acts of violence.
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