Florida authorities report hundreds of books pulled from school library

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison. “Forever” by Judy Blume. Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five”.

All of these have been pulled from the shelves of some schools in Florida, according to the latest information. list Florida Department of Education tally of books removed by local school districts.

Recent changes in state law now allow parents and residents to: challenge It protected books in school libraries and required school districts to submit annual reports to the state detailing which books are restricted in schools. Florida continues to lead the nation in efforts to pull books from school libraries, according to an analysis by the American Library Association and the advocacy group PEN America.

“Restricting access is a restriction on the freedom to read,” said Casey Meehan of PEN America. “Students lose the ability to access books that reflect their own lived experiences and that help them learn and empathize with people with different life experiences.”

The list, announced for the 2023-2024 school year, includes titles from American literary icons such as Maya Angelou, Flannery O’Connor and Richard Wright, as well as titles that are nationally recognized for featuring LGBTQ+ characters. Contains books that have become top targets for censorship. Portrayals of gender, sexuality, and sexual encounters, such as George Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue” and Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer.” Conservative supporters classify such content as “pornography.”

The list of books removed from the library also includes Holocaust references such as “The Diary of Anne Frank: A Graphic Adaptation” and “Sophie’s Choice.” So is the graphic novel version of George Orwell’s seminal work on censorship and surveillance, “1984.”

“From Toni Morrison to Alice Walker to ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ to George Orwell,” said Stefana Farrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Reading Project, which tracks book issues in Florida. said. “If you take the time to look at that list, you’ll see there’s a problem with this movement.”

In a statement to The Associated Press, a Florida Department of Education spokesperson defended the state’s move to remove “sexually explicit content” from schools, saying no books are banned in Florida. did.

“Once again, far-left activists are foisting their book-ban rumors on Floridians. The better question is: Why do these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit material? “That’s true,” said spokeswoman Sidney Booker.

The list shows that book removals vary widely across the state, with some districts reporting no restrictions and others removing hundreds of books from their shelves. Farrell, of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said based on the group’s analysis of public records, the department’s report does not include books that were removed after review by internal staff and complaints from parents and residents. He said this is an underestimate because it only includes books that were removed in response to the coronavirus outbreak. .

Farrell believes most parents in Florida want their children to have wide access to literature.

“We live in a state where parental rights are recognized, heard and acted upon,” Farrell said. “We want accountability and accurate documentation of how these laws impact our children and what is available to them.”

The school has restricted access to dozens of books by horror genre master Stephen King, known for bestsellers such as “It” and “Pet Cemetery.” Clay County officials also determined that his book, “On Writing: A Memoir of a Craft,” was inappropriate for students.

King, who spends part of the year in Florida, spoke out about efforts to remove his books from students’ hands and urged readers to rush to their local library or bookstore.

“What–?” King wrote on social media in August in response to the decision by some Florida schools to remove his books from their shelves.

Several Florida school districts have filed legal challenges for restricting students’ access to books, including Penn America and Escambia County, where Penn America is suing. penguin random housethe largest publishing company in Japan.

September, Nassau County School District resolved The lawsuit was filed by the authors of the picture book “And Tango Makes Three,” which is based on the true story of two male penguins who raised a chick together at New York’s Central Park Zoo. Under the terms of the settlement, the district had to return 30 books to the shelves.

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