CARMEL, Ind. — In a 3-2 vote, the Carmel Clay school board accepted a committee’s recommendation that George Johnson’s memoir, “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” be allowed to remain on the shelves of Carmel High School’s library.

The book was challenged by community member Cindy Black who said she was disturbed by what she read.

“Because of the book’s focus on themes of incest, sodomy, sexual abuse, masturbation, blowjobs, and radical anti-white rhetoric,” Black said during Monday’s meeting.

The memoir recounts the coming of age of a “queer, black” man with stories of sexual experiences, abuse and racism.

“From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys,” the author’s website reads.

At Carmel Clay, when a book is repeatedly challenged it eventually ends up in front of a committee made up of district employees to be reviewed.

That committee recommended that the book stay on the shelves.

“We acknowledge that there are some very difficult sexual scenes in the book, but do not feel that it meets the definition of obscene or harmful to minors,” the committee wrote in its report.

However, the school board was divided on the issue.

Kristin Kouka, Jennifer Nelson-Williams and Katie Browning voted to accept the recommendation and keep the book on the shelves. Louise Jackson and Greg Brown voted to reject that recommendation.

“[We’re] just disappointed,” Black said. “I believe that there’s a lot of support in the community for protecting the minors in this community.”

While it was a disappointing result for Black and her supporters, a majority of the public speakers at Monday’s meeting advocated for the book to stay.

“Most of your children are not queer, black boys, but this particular queer black boy had an experience that statistically many of our children and many of us have had and that is important,” parent Janine Zee-Cheng said.

Black as well as the board members who voted to remove the book took issue with the process of challenging a book. The board members made a motion to discuss that process in the future.