Florida Schools Remove Hundreds of Library Books

Florida schools have seen a significant increase in book removals, with 732 titles taken off shelves during the 2023-2024 school year, nearly doubling the 386 removed the previous year. This surge is attributed to recent state laws empowering parents and residents to challenge library books, with a focus on removing titles deemed 'pornographic' or containing sexual content. The list includes works by renowned authors like Toni Morrison and Maya Angelou, as well as LGBTQ+ themed books and historical texts such as 'Anne Frank’s Diary'. Advocacy groups like PEN America argue that these removals restrict students' freedom to read and access diverse perspectives. The Florida Department of Education maintains that no books are banned, emphasizing the removal of sexually explicit materials, while PEN America reports that the total number of removed books could be as high as 4,500 when including temporary removals. A new law limiting book challenges by non-parents may further impact future removals.