In Orange County, Florida, 673 books were removed from classrooms, including classics like Paradise Lost and Brave New World. This happened because of a new state law requiring schools to eliminate “sexual content” from their shelves. These books are no longer available for students in the county.
The Orlando Sentinel states several books, including bestsellers like The Color Purple and Catch-22, are temporarily banned in Orange County, Florida. The ban will be lifted once district staff conducts a second review of these titles.
Orange County Public Schools initiated the compilation of its list of targeted books during the summer. This action aligns with House Bill 1069, signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, an expansion of the “Don’t Say Gay” law, which the Republican-controlled Legislature passed.
During a school board meeting on December 12, a board member raised concerns, as reported by the Sentinel. The member stated that media specialists were experiencing “great fear” due to laws holding them accountable for classroom library titles.
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Consequently, this fear led to what was described as “over-censorship.” “It’s creating this culture of fear within our media specialists and even teachers who just want to have a library in their classrooms, so kids have access,” said former elementary teacher and board member Karen Castor Dentel.
Under the new Florida law, several novels have been flagged, including John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden,” Gustave Flaubert’s “Madame Bovary,” and Betty Smith’s “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”
Additionally, multiple titles by Toni Morrison, such as “The Bluest Eye,” “Beloved,” and “Song of Solomon,” are also part of the list of deemed problematic books.
Books by popular authors, including John Grisham’s “The Firm” and novels by Stephen King, Jodi Picoult, Colleen Hoover, Ellen Hopkins, George R.R. Martin, and Nicholas Sparks, have been removed.
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Additionally, the entire “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series by fantasy author Sarah J. Maas is facing bans in Florida and districts across other states. More than a few critically acclaimed works are gone too.
The list also includes Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, Kindred by Octavia E. Butler, and On the Road by Jack Kerouac.
According to the Sentinel, the state has advised media specialists to “err on the side of caution” when greenlighting certain books; the educators could lose their teaching certificates or face criminal penalties if they rubber-stamp inappropriate materials.
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One district parent, Judi Hayes, told Spectrum News 13 she’s concerned about the newly banned books, including some required reading in schools elsewhere.
“Even when they’re talking about the sexual content of these books, they’re being read by higher level students,” Hayes said. “These are kids that are sometimes 18 years old.”
Her high school sophomore son Jack added, “It makes me feel a little pessimistic towards where education is going right now.”
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