Required Reading in this era of banning painful history.

Required reading as in books students must read in school as a part of their assignments?

I couldn't read the New York Times article (subscription necessary) but I read a Wikipedia summary of the novel itself. It does seem a rather convoluted plot narrated with heavy, 19C Southern states flavour.

Why though, do the (self-appointed?) censors want it suppressed? It would seem a book that should be read widely, at least in the USA. It may be more difficult for foreign readers with different histories and cultures to appreciate fully, though.

Though I suppose in the USA, the most the censors can do is try to keep it out of their local school and perhaps public libraries. Not ban it for everyone country-wide. Besides, such bans can both expose the censors to ridicule and produce a "forbidden fruit" appeal helping increase sales!