The Florida Department of Education (DOE) released an official thirty-five-page list of books that were banned from the last school year due to the nature of the content within. This list depicts around seven hundred books as “unfit” for an educational institution. Sources report an increase in the number of books added to this list, with around four hundred new additions since the previous school year.
Titles on this list include “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini, and “Looking for Alaska” by John Greene, among others. These books have been challenged and banned across Florida’s 73 school districts, particularly because they display content that the state considers inappropriate within a school setting. Many of the books on this list deal with the topics of identity whether they mention racism or sexuality. Some of these books even discuss heavier topics like coercion, which has since led to a mass banning.
“If banned books were simply to protect children from being exposed to inappropriate things that would be fine. But the reality is what gives someone the right to deem books including or about LGBTQ characters or books that mention slavery as inappropriate?” Says Aveline Harding, a sophomore. “With several counties banning books such as “Understanding Sexual Orientation and Gender“, and “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian“, it’s not hard to see that there may be an ulterior motive behind the content of these bans.”
Access to these books, as well as the rest that were listed, has since been restricted to certain grade levels or completely removed from schools under a recent Florida law. HB 1069, a law passed in 2023, bans schools in Florida from having books that depict or imply the presence of sexual content. This law also targets books that are deemed inappropriate for the age group using the material.
A junior at Coral Glades who would like to remain anonymous says, “Well, this law does seem pretty reasonable. I mean, children shouldn’t have to be exposed to such harsh topics so early on.” They continue, “I think that ultimately, parents should have the final say in the media available to their children. You never know what’s out there!”
Since then, discussion around this topic seems to have died down, with these books still being available for purchase, with Barnes & Noble even having a section dedicated to these “Banned Books.” Although that isn’t to say that locals in Florida don’t see this ban as an issue.
Freshman Lyla Squire, an avid reader, shares, “Some of the books on this list, like Speak, for instance, shed light on important real-world issues that should be talked about more.” She continues, “Whether or not these books contain sexual content shouldn’t be an issue, as long as they are able to spread awareness on serious topics.”
While many have taken this same stance when it comes to this discussion, others seem to fully support this restriction. Overall, it looks like book lovers in all of Florida’s counties seem to be somewhat divided on this law. Some are mourning the loss of these books, but on the bright side, they are still available for purchase at major retailers like Barnes & Noble. In fact, there is an entire section dedicated to banned books.
