Infographic: Florida's Public School Book Bans

The Bluest Eyes and 13 Reasons Why top the list of controversial books in Florida.

No state banned more books than Florida in the most recent school year, according to free expression nonprofit PEN America. Over 40 percent of school book bans in the U.S. happened in Florida, though a slight majority of Florida school districts had no bans at all. Justifications for the challenges vary, but scenes depicting nonconsensual sex are a common motivator.

PEN America's definition of a "book ban" is admittedly broad, and all these books remain available for purchase from private sellers, but most challenges against books still end up hindering free speech and open debate. Combined, 1,098 different books were banned in Florida in the 2021–2022 and 2022–2023 school years.
— Jason Russell

(Infographic by Erin Davis)

Comments

[Chumby]

End non-consensual taxpayer funding of public schools.

[Eeyore]

At least ban public school libraries.

[Longtobefree]

Fact check:
Not a single book was banned in the entire state of Florida.

[Jerry B.]

And, thanks to Amazon, you don't even need to leave your home to get them.

[Eeyore]

With kindle you don't even need to leave the couch or toilet.

[Carey Allison]

Wouldn't the article be of more value if certain select portions of the banned books, limited of course to the amount allowed under "fair use", were reproduced along with the cute little maps?

What? You're concerned that images from books showing a child on his knees rendering a hummer might offend? Are you concerned the images might offend, or the books might offend? And whose "offense" are you concerned about?

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

How's about using Mein Kampf in German language classes?

How's about Lady Chatterley's Lover in English lit classes, right alongside Robert Frost?

Then sorry, not sorry, no LGBTQWERTY porn either.

[Chumby]

Misek approves your first suggestion though he just refers to it as The Book.

[Á àß äẞç ãþÇđ âÞ¢Đæ ǎB€Ðëf ảhf]

Not das Buch? I am shocked!

[sarcasmic]

Seems like we go through this every decade.

[Minadin]

People deceptively conflating public school libraries not stocking a book with it being banned?

[sarcasmic]

Defenders of traditional values having kittens over what they find in the library.

[Minadin]

There's a line somewhere, isn't there?

Some material at some point is not appropriate in schools whatsoever. Other material is not age appropriate for some grade levels, but might be acceptable for older kids.

[DesigNate]

I have a feeling they’d be having kittens (that’s a hilarious turn of phrase btw) if the libraries were trying to stock “The Joy of Sex”, too.

[Was it something I said?]

So you are going to ignore 1) age appropriate subject matter, and 2) leftists getting books in the vein of To Kill a Mockingbird removed?

[JoeB]

That's what you take away? Those "traditional values" established the freedoms you are now using to squawk like a fat oily LBGTQFU duck.

[jdgalt1]

If Reason were still libertarian it would have framed this story the opposite way, labeling these "bans" as upholding parents' rights by requiring their permission to show sexual material to their kids. The choice belongs to those parents, not LGBTQPZ activists.

[tmaddison]

Yes, that's exactly what they're doing, because they know most people don't understand the difference

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/12/questioning-material-california-schools-hate/

[A Thinking Mind]

Okay. So a book about a girl who writes an elaborate suicide note, which worried many people that there was a social contagion effect causing young people to copy that behavior, is one of the most banned books.

It’s a cheesy, melodramatic young adult novel that has no educational value. And students can still read it if their parents want to let them read it, they just can’t check it out of the school library.

[Mickey Rat]

"PEN America's definition of a "book ban" is admittedly broad, and all these books remain available for purchase from private sellers, but most challenges against books still end up hindering free speech and open debate."

I expect this means that the definition is so broad as to be useless in making a judgment outside of the context of each instance of a "ban", such as the nature of the content, the age level of the students in the particular schools, etc.

[Michael Ejercito]

I wonder if Playboy and Hustler are among the banned books.

[tmaddison]

They are by this definition, because they're not chosen to be stocked in school libraries.

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/12/questioning-material-california-schools-hate/

[AT]

but scenes depicting nonconsensual sex are a common motivator.

What's the argument in favor of putting books with rape/molestation/homosexuality themes in the hands of children?

[I, Woodchipper]

I think you know what the purpose is.

[AT]

Perhaps I should instead ask why proponents of the notion won't step forward to clearly espouse that argument.

[DesigNate]

“PEN America’s definition of a “book ban” is admittedly broad, and all these books remain available for purchase from private sellers, but most challenges against books still end up hindering free speech and open debate.”

Last time I checked, school libraries have to curate their collection because they don’t have the space or resources to own a copy of every book ever published. Also, if they’re still publicly available for purchase, they are, by definition, not banned.

Glad we could clear that up.

[Spartacus]

Your map has Gainesville in the wrong county. The map has it in Levy county, when it is actually in Alachua county.

[Longtobefree]

Reason is not known for requiring sources to be accurate or truthful.
To do that would require actual journalism like checking sources and references, and not just a cut an paste from the daily talking points list.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

In contrast, Gavin Newsom signed a law that prohibited schools from "banning" books on diversity and LGBTQI2MAP+ issues.

But ONLY those books are protected.

[AT]

Isn't the "MAP" part of the acronym redundant? "P" covers it all by itself.

[I, Woodchipper]

"not stocking" is not a ban. They dont provide the book to the kids as part of their operation.

This is true of myriad books. Every book assigned or provided to the kids is part of a decision made by the school. This is no different.

Please stop calling it a "ban".

[tmaddison]

Exactly right.

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/12/questioning-material-california-schools-hate/

[Think It Through]

Jesus I thought libertarians liked to pay attention to language and accuracy. Choosing which books belong in public school curricula and libraries, and which do not, never results in a "ban." My 1993 publication is not "banned" from Florida schools just because none of them buy it or teach it or have it in their libraries. It's simply not relevant or interesting enough, and not taught.

Making a curriculum, and excluding some items from that curriculum, is not BANNING. Language. Language. Language.

[DRM]

The idea that government-employee school librarians should have unsupervised and unaccountable power when deciding how taxpayer dollars should be spent stocking government school libraries is so utterly ridiculous that advocates of the idea can only further it by pretending that any form of democratic oversight is "banning books".

But, of course, fighting to get specific poorly-chosen books off the shelves is the wrong attack point. Instead, one should try to get the government employee who chose to put the book on the shelf fired.

[Azathoth!!]

Zero books were banned. Zero.

Why the hell is Reason so gung ho for being a leftist mouthpiece?

The only thing of value here for a long time has been the commenters. There's not a single journalist left. Just leftist shitbrains braying whatever they're told to say.

Long live the commenters!

[JoeB]

You two authors of this screed are pathetic, lazy, partisan hacks. Learn to code, you've got no business pretending to be journalists.

[TJJ2000]

So many blessings of Commie-Education.... /s

[tmaddison]

Has been said already, but choosing not to stock a title in school libraries is not a "ban", it is "curation."

https://calmatters.org/commentary/2023/12/questioning-material-california-schools-hate/