'Challenges our authority': School board in Florida bans book about book bans

[essentialsaltes]

School officials in Florida have banned a book about book banning.

The Indian River County School Board voted to remove "Ban This Book" by Alan Gratz from its shelves in a meeting last month, overruling its own district book-review committee's decision to keep it.

The book, which had been in two Indian River County elementary schools and a middle school, was challenged by Jennifer Pippin. She's the head of the area's local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative group that has become one of the loudest advocates for removing books they deem inappropriate.

Gratz, its author, called the Indian River County decision "incredibly ironic."

"They banned the book because it talks about the books that they have banned and because it talks about book banning," he said in an interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida. "It feels like they know exactly what they're doing and they're somewhat ashamed of what they're doing and they don't want a book on the shelves that calls them out."

 

[Belk]

They are trying to put The Onion out of a job.

 

[RileyG]

This is bizarre.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Board members Jacqueline Rosario and Gene Posca, who voted in the majority, were backed by Moms for Liberty during their campaigns, according to Treasure Coast Newspapers. The third "yes" vote came from Kevin McDonald, who was recently appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Why the heck is the governor appointing people to a school board?

 

[keith99]

Doublethink is alive and well.

 

[Zaha Torte]

School officials in Florida have banned a book about book banning.

The Indian River County School Board voted to remove "Ban This Book" by Alan Gratz from its shelves in a meeting last month, overruling its own district book-review committee's decision to keep it.

The book, which had been in two Indian River County elementary schools and a middle school, was challenged by Jennifer Pippin. She's the head of the area's local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative group that has become one of the loudest advocates for removing books they deem inappropriate.

Gratz, its author, called the Indian River County decision "incredibly ironic."

"They banned the book because it talks about the books that they have banned and because it talks about book banning," he said in an interview with the USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida. "It feels like they know exactly what they're doing and they're somewhat ashamed of what they're doing and they don't want a book on the shelves that calls them out."

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If they banned inappropriate books - wouldn't it make sense for them to ban another book that talks about those inappropriate books?

 

[Bradskii]

If they banned inappropriate books - wouldn't it make sense for them to ban another book that talks about those inappropriate books?

It doesn't mention anything about 'those inappropriate books'. It's a novel about censorship. Perish the thought that kids get to read about that!

 

[Zaha Torte]

Perish the thought that kids get to read about censorship.

Their parents are free to buy the book.

 

[RileyG]

Perish the thought that kids get to read about censorship.

I read IT by Stephen King when I was just barely 14 years old.

For those who read the book they know about the….”very inappropriate scene”….in the book.

It didn’t traumatize me or anything.

I devoured his books after that.

 

[Zaha Torte]

I read IT by Stephen King when I was just barely 14 years old.

For those who read the book they know about the….”very inappropriate scene”….in the book.

It didn’t traumatize me or anything.

I devoured his books after that.

Did you get that book from the library at your public school?

 

[RileyG]

Did you get that book from the library at your public school?

Public library. Over 1000 pages. Read it in less than 2 weeks.

 

[Zaha Torte]

Public library. Over 1000 pages. Read it in less than 2 weeks.

Yikes.

Were your parents glad that you read that scene?

 

[RileyG]

Yikes.

Were your parents glad that you read that scene?

When I was in 8th grade we had to read 40 books for my English class.

I read Carrie, Misery, It, Christine, The Shining, Salem’s Lot among others all by Stephen King.

I even read 1984 by George Orwell when I was 13.

I don’t think my parents or English teacher really cared.

I devoured books one after another.

I LOVED reading, and still do.

 

[Bradskii]

Their parents are free to buy the book.

'You can buy it in a local bookstore' isn't an excuse for banning it. Why would it be deemed inappropriate?

 

[Zaha Torte]

When I was in 8th grade we had to read 40 books for my English class.

I read Carrie, Misery, It, Christine, The Shining, Salem’s Lot among others all by Stephen King.

I even read 1984 by George Orwell when I was 13.

I don’t think my parents or English teacher really cared.

I devoured books one after another.

I LOVED reading, and still do.

Many parents care about the content that their children consume and would rather they not read scenes involving child sex - let alone entire books dedicated to the subject of sexuality.

 

[RileyG]

Many parents care about the content that their children consume and would rather they not read scenes involving child sex - let alone entire books dedicated to the subject of sexuality.

You’re right. That scene in It is very messed up and Stephen King has since disowned it.

Did you read the novel?

None of Stephen King’s books are dedicated to sexuality. To be fair.

 

[RileyG]

I read lots and lots of stuff in my teen years. It hasn’t harmed me as an adult, and it’s always good to keep an open mind and keep learning.

I even read material for people who disagree with me. Why? BECAUSE it’s important to keep learning and have an attempt to understand the other person’s point of view.

 

[A2SG]

Many parents care about the content that their children consume and would rather they not read scenes involving child sex - let alone entire books dedicated to the subject of sexuality.

And many parents would prefer to be allowed to make those decisions for their own children, instead of having those decisions made for them by a group of busybodies who are more concerned about their own moralistic agenda than anything else.

But, who cares about those parents, right? They're not the "right" kind of parents.

-- A2SG, they should just do what they're told, like everyone else.....

 

[Bradskii]

I read Carrie, Misery, It, Christine, The Shining, Salem’s Lot among others all by Stephen King.

I even read 1984 by George Orwell when I was 13.

Well done. It's just a shame that some people now want to stop what you did. And I can't think of another book that deals so much with censorship than 1984.

“To Kill a Mockingbird,” by Harper Lee is one of the top ten most challenged and banned books of 2020. The same book, along with “1984” by George Orwell, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” by Mark Twain, and “The Catcher in the Rye” by J. D. Salinger, are among the 100 most banned and challenged books of the past decade (2010-2019), according to the American Library Association.' Are These the Most Banned Books in Public Schools and Libraries in the US?

 

[Zaha Torte]

'You can buy it in a local bookstore' isn't an excuse for banning it. Why would it be deemed inappropriate?

I don't know - I have yet to read it - but the article claims that it references the other books that were deemed inappropriate - (and I don't know how they were referenced exactly) - so it would not be outside of reason to ban it too.

It would be like if the Bible were banned - then a book that often quoted from the Bible was introduced to the library - it would not be unreasonable to ban that book too.

Either way - none of the books that were banned from the schools prevent any of the parents from buying those books and having their children read them if they were so inclined.

This reminds me of people who got upset because there were no prayers in schools - it's like - no one is stopping you from praying at home.