In the 2023-2024 school year, educational institutions in Florida in the U.S. will have about 700 books removed from their libraries, according to a list from the U.S. state Department of Education, according to the Washington Post.

PEN America, a free speech advocacy group, estimated that as of July 2021 a total of 4,561 books have been censored from school libraries in the US state.

Some of the titles of the withdrawn books are considered works of classic literature, such as “A Clockwork Orange” by British author Anthony Burgess, “Slaughterhouse-Five” by American author Kurt Vonnegut and “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou, the black poet, actress, activist and human rights advocate, according to an online survey by PEN America.

The “steamroller” law for books

Book withdrawal is possible under a law that allows parents or district residents to push for the removal of any textbook that “depicts or describes sexual or pornographic content.”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ office had previously said the law provides, among other things, the ability for parents to “oppose the exposure of their children to inappropriate material.”

Florida is at the forefront of a national conflict over how race, history and sexuality can be taught in schools.

“Narrow ideological views” the authors denounce

Last August, a group of major publishers, authors and parents sued U.S. state educators, claiming that a law allowing district residents to put a brake on the circulation of books available in school libraries violates the Constitution.

Casey Meehan, a spokesman for PEN America, told the Washington Post that the list proves that books are banned in Florida, a fact the state Department of Education has repeatedly denied, calling it a “stunt.”

“We are concerned that narrow, ideological views are exerting a great deal of influence to remove access to books that are vital to students in schools. These books offer students the opportunity to do introspection and learn to empathize with their fellow citizens,” he said.

Florida rejects the bans

For his part, Sidney Booker, a spokesman for the Florida Department of Education, told the American Journal that removing books from school libraries does not constitute a ban.

“There are no banned books in Florida and sexual material does not belong in schools,” he said in a statement.

In addition, books depicting characters from the LGBTQ+ biracial community, as well as those dealing with issues of teen depression and sexual assault, were also pulled in some areas of the state.

Also, graphic novel adaptations of George Orwell’s “The Diary of Anne Frank” and “1984” were censored in some areas of Florida, as were several books by famed American author Stephen King.

Complaint from publishers to Department of Education

For Stephanna Ferrell, co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, the best way to combat the withdrawal of books from school libraries is to ask each district to have a public review process so that every book is read in its entirety before a decision is made.

“To let one person redefine what is appropriate for everyone without considering everyone’s needs is terrible. For example, the needs of a kindergarten student do not reflect the needs of a high school student,” he argued.

As the US publication reports, major publishing houses have sued the state of Florida over a law that allows schools to ban certain books from their libraries.

The lawsuit, filed by publishers such as Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, argues that the Florida law violates First Amendment rights to free speech.

Which books are subject to the ban

The lawsuit cites several books that have been removed from school libraries under the law, including works by famed authors Maya Angelou and Ernest Hemingway. In addition, it focuses on a bill passed in Florida last year that requires schools to develop a mechanism for parents to voice objections to certain books.

It also specifies that books subject to removal are those that “depict or describe sexual behavior” or are “inappropriate for the grade level and age group” of students.

Among the books that have been withdrawn are Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and L. Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.

The lawsuit also says the law allows schools to automatically ban books without the advice of trained professionals, such as teachers or special resources, and that some schools have banned books with the phrase “they made love” without considering the content of the book as a whole.

As this publication points out, those who have filed a lawsuit are asking for the law to be changed, arguing that it has created a regime of strict censorship in schools.

The defendants include members of the Florida Board of Education, but not Governor Ron DeSantis, who had supported the law.