Stephen King’s novel Rage, originally published in 1977 under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, has been permanently withdrawn from publication due to its unsettling parallels with real-life school shootings. The decision to let the book fall out of print was made by King himself, who deemed it “the responsible thing to do” in light of its potential influence on vulnerable individuals.
Origins and Plot of Rage
Rage was one of the early works King released under the Bachman pseudonym, a strategy he employed to publish more than one book per year without oversaturating the market under his own name. The novel centers on Charlie Decker, a troubled high school student who, after a series of personal setbacks, brings a gun to school, kills his algebra teacher, and holds his classmates hostage. The narrative delves into Charlie’s psyche, exploring themes of adolescent angst, authority defiance, and psychological turmoil.
King has acknowledged that Rage was a product of its time, reflecting his own teenage frustrations. In his 2013 essay “Guns,” he wrote, “I suppose if it had been written today, and some high school English teacher had seen it, he would have rushed the manuscript to the guidance counselor and I would have found myself in therapy posthaste.”
Association with Real-Life Incidents
Over the years, Rage has been linked to several school shootings, raising concerns about its potential impact on readers. Notably:
- In 1988, Jeffrey Lyne Cox held a class hostage at San Gabriel High School in California. He had reportedly read Rage multiple times and identified with its protagonist.
- In 1989, Dustin L. Pierce took a history class hostage at Jackson County High School in Kentucky. A copy of Rage was found among his possessions.
- In 1997, Michael Carneal opened fire at Heath High School in Kentucky, killing three students. A copy of Rage was discovered in his locker, which King cited as the final impetus for withdrawing the book from circulation.
These incidents underscored the potential for Rage to resonate with and possibly influence individuals prone to violence, prompting King to reconsider its availability.
King’s Decision to Withdraw Rage
Following the Heath High School shooting, King requested that his publishers cease printing Rage. While the novel continued to appear in the omnibus The Bachman Books for a time, it was eventually removed from that collection as well. In a footnote to his 2007 novel Blaze, King wrote of Rage: “Now out of print, and a good thing.”
In his essay “Guns,” King elaborated on his decision, stating, “My book did not break [the readers in question], or turn them into killers. They found something in my book that spoke to them because they were already broken. Yet I did see Rage as a possible accelerant, which is why I pulled it from sale.”
Current Status and Legacy
Today, Rage remains out of print, and King has expressed no intention of allowing it to be republished. Despite—or perhaps because of—its controversial history, the novel has become a sought-after collector’s item, with used copies fetching high prices online. However, King maintains that keeping the book out of circulation is the right choice, emphasizing the importance of authors taking responsibility for the potential impact of their work.
The case of Rage serves as a poignant example of the complex relationship between art and real-world events, highlighting the ethical considerations artists may face when their creations intersect with societal issues.
