It appears classic American novels like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Of Mice and Men," are not going to be read by British students anytime soon.
A newly released English literature list from England's Assessment and Qualifications Alliance exam board boasts the likes of the most celebrated British authors that students across the country will study.
But the AQA book list dropped all books or plays written by American authors, causing backlash from critics who say the exam boards are excluding any books from outside cultures, the BBC reported.
American authors no longer on the list include Arthur Miller, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck and Tennessee Williams. The Department of Education vehemently denies there is a ban on American authors.
"We have not banned any authors, books or genres," a DE spokesman told the BBC. "The exam boards have decided what literature to include, subject to the minimum requirements we set out."
But opponents say the requirements for the list- "fiction or drama from the British Isles from 1914 onwards"- make it impossible for American authors to be added. British authors include George Orewll, JB Priestley, Simon Stephens and Meera Syal.
The AQA said other authors can be added, but "to do so would place an unacceptable assessment burden on teachers and students," the exam board said according to the BBC.
The changes to the English literature GCSE list were made to ensure that students are exposed to a wide range of literature and to lessen the focus on over-used books, education officials said.
For example, in one year alone "280,000 candidates studied just one novel for the AQA GCSE," with the "overwhelming majority" of them using John Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men," Education Secretary Michael Grove told the BBC.
A petition against the list has already received 50,000 signatures, the Guardian reported.
The AQA list is waiting for final approval from the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation.
