Florida Schools Censor Classic Books

Have you ever tried to borrow a book that's not there? That's what's happening in some Florida schools. Classic books like Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" and Judy Blume's "Forever" are vanishing from libraries. This isn't by accident; it's because of new laws that let parents challenge these books. The state even tracks which books are removed. A lot of them are classics or tales of diverse experiences, like "Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut or "All Boys Aren’t Blue" by George Johnson. Some schools also censored Holocaust accounts, like "Anne Frank’s Diary, " and George Orwell's "1984. " Critics argue this restricts students' freedom to read and learn from different experiences. The Florida Department of Education, however, defends its action, saying it's against exposing kids to "sexually explicit materials. "

The thing is, not all schools are doing this. Some have removed hundreds of books, while others haven’t pulled any off their shelves. What’s more, some books might have been removed without anyone even complaining. No surprise, some big names like Stephen King and Penguin Random House have sued these schools. One even used a strong word, starting with “f. ” Schools might be trying to do what they think is right, but is stopping students from reading certain books the best way?

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