Among the materials listed as removed or discontinued in the report by some school districts in 2023-2024 include Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” Judi Blume’s “Forever,” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse-Five. ”
Over 700 books have been listed by the department, with some school districts not removing any books.
The removals were due to an “objection raised by a parent of a public school student in the school district or a resident of the county where the school district is located,” the department said.
The list follows recent legislative changes in Florida that have given parents and community members more power to challenge books available in school libraries. According to the department, these changes also require school districts to submit annual reports detailing which books have been restricted.
Florida continues to lead the nation in removing books from school libraries, according to the American Library Association and PEN America.
“A restriction of access is a restriction on one’s freedom to read. Students lose the ability to access books that mirror their own lived experiences, to access books that help them learn and empathize with people who … have different life experiences,” said Kasey Meehan of PEN America.
The list for the 2023-2024 school year includes works by renowned American authors such as Maya Angelou, Flannery O'Connor, and Richard Wright.
It also features some books that have been considered controversial for LGBTQ+ content or discussions of gender and sexuality, such as “All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George Johnson and the graphic memoir “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe.
Holocaust-related books, including a graphic adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary and “Sophie’s Choice,” have also been removed from some school libraries. Even a graphic novel adaptation of George Orwell’s “1984” and three graphic novels from A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin have been pulled from shelves.
Stephana Farrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, said he felt that the removals were excessive.
“Everywhere from Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’, George Orwell. If you take the time to look at that list, you will recognize that there is an issue with … this movement,” he said.
The Florida Department of Education, however, said that no books are being banned in the state.
“Once again, far-left activists are pushing the book ban hoax on Floridians,” spokesperson Sydney Booker said. “The better question is, why do these activists continue to fight to expose children to sexually explicit materials?”.
The report reveals differences in removals among Florida’s school districts with some districts reporting no restrictions, while others listed hundreds of titles removed from their libraries.
Farrell believes the report may undercount the actual number of removed books, as it doesn’t include those removed through internal staff reviews, according to her organization’s analysis of public records.
Several of Stephen King’s works have also been restricted, including his memoir on writing “On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft,” which Clay County officials deemed inappropriate.
The book removals have sparked legal challenges in some Florida school districts. PEN America and Penguin Random House, the country’s largest publisher, are currently suing Escambia County over book restrictions.
In September, Nassau County school district settled a lawsuit after being sued by the authors of “And Tango Makes Three.” Officials agreed to return several dozen books to library shelves.
