Florida has emerged as the top state in America for so-called “book banning,” according to a recent report.
More than 4,500 total books (and 4,231 individual titles) were pulled from Florida public schools in the 2023-2024 school year, based on the report by PEN America, a free speech nonprofit. This is a massive increase from the 1,406 books banned the previous school year and accounts for nearly half of the more than 10,000 books removed from schools nationwide.
As stated in the report, 39 percent of the books banned had LGBTQ themes and characters, and 57 percent had “sex or sex-related content.” Another 44 percent were about “characters of color,” but PEN America did not explicitly state that race was a motivating factor for removal, merely suggesting a correlation. (Related: LGBTQ-themed books top list of most challenged library books of 2023.)
Florida’s 2023 law, House Bill 1069, made a legal process for pulling out books, in addition to a requirement that they be removed while schools reply to challenges filed by parents or citizens.
The list gathered by PEN America involves books permanently removed from schools, removed pending investigation, and restricted based on grade level or parental permission requirement.
Nov 20, 2024