Florida’s Book Bans: The Coward’s Curriculum
Florida is banning books like it’s a competition, and unfortunately, it’s winning. In the 2023-2024 school year alone, the state removed 700 books from school libraries, according to the Florida Department of Education. That’s not education—it’s cowardice masquerading as protection.
Titles like I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut are disappearing from shelves. Even George Orwell’s 1984 and the graphic novel adaptation of Anne Frank’s diary are gone. If these books—classics that expose human resilience, critique power, and reflect our shared history—are dangerous, what does that say about Florida’s idea of education?
Here’s a clue: it’s not about protecting children. It’s about protecting fragile egos and controlling narratives.
Protecting Children? No, Protecting Ignorance
Florida’s defenders of censorship insist they’re shielding kids from “inappropriate” material. Sydney Booker from the state’s Department of Education even claims, “There are no books banned in Florida.” She calls the criticism a “book ban hoax” cooked up by “far-left activists.”
Excuse us, Sydney, but a 700-title-long list isn’t a hoax—it’s proof. Check the Department of Education’s own receipts.
Here’s what Florida has really banned:
- LGBTQ+ representation. Books like Gender Queer and All Boys Aren’t Blue are erased for daring to discuss identity.
- Mental health realities. Titles like Thirteen Reasons Why and The Perks of Being a Wallflower are axed because they talk about depression and survival—issues many students face daily.
- Historical truths. Anne Frank’s Diary in graphic novel form is apparently too much reality for fragile Floridian sensibilities.
As Stephana Ferrell of the Florida Freedom to Read Project explains:
“To let one person redefine what is age-appropriate for all while not taking into consideration the needs for all is shocking.”
It’s shocking, all right—shocking, cynical, and lazy. Instead of engaging with hard topics, Florida bans them, leaving students defenseless in a world that won’t spare them the very realities these books address.
This Isn’t Education—It’s Indoctrination
Here’s the irony: Florida bans these books in the name of fighting “indoctrination.” But banning books is indoctrination—just the flavor preferred by ideologues who want to sanitize history, erase diversity, and shield themselves from discomfort.
Let’s talk about Florida’s method for purging books. A single parent or resident can read an “offensive” passage aloud at a school board meeting. If it’s deemed inappropriate, the book is removed.
Think about that. A text too “explicit” for a roomful of adults is banished from schools entirely. It doesn’t matter if the book offers critical lessons in resilience, empathy, or history. One cherry-picked sentence, and it’s gone.
This isn’t about children. It’s about control. Kasey Meehan of PEN America nails it:
“These books offer students an opportunity to see themselves and also learn and empathize with others.”
When we erase books, we don’t protect kids—we rob them of the tools they need to think critically, empathize deeply, and grow into informed adults.
Erasing Stories, Erasing Futures
Books aren’t just ink on paper. They’re maps to understanding. They reflect who we are, who we’ve been, and who we could be. Banning them shrinks our children’s horizons and builds a society of fear and ignorance.
Here’s the truth Florida censors don’t want to admit: banning a book doesn’t make its ideas go away. It just ensures the next generation is too unprepared to engage with them.
How to Fight Back
This isn’t just Florida’s problem. It’s a national warning shot. Here’s how to push back:
- Educate Yourself: Check out the full list of banned books.
- Speak Up: Attend school board meetings, demand accountability, and insist that all books are read in full before decisions are made.
- Support Free Speech: Donate to advocacy groups like PEN America fighting for intellectual freedom.
Farmington Storage: Your Banned Books Sanctuary
While Florida deletes Angelou and Orwell, Farmington Storage preserves your treasures in pristine, museum-grade air. Whether it’s your vinyl collection or your contraband literary stash, we’ve got you covered. Visit us at 155 Scott Swamp Road or call 860-777-4001—because banning books doesn’t work on humidity.
The Final Word
Florida’s book bans don’t protect students. They abandon them. They erase the stories that help young people see themselves, understand others, and grapple with the world’s challenges.
As Stephana Ferrell said, “This is about equal opportunity to learn beyond the classroom.” Censorship doesn’t just shrink libraries—it shrinks futures.
Florida isn’t protecting its kids. It’s feeding them ignorance and calling it safety. And unless we fight back, that ignorance will spread.
Don’t let the censors win. Stand up for students. Stand up for stories. Stand up for freedom.
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Jack Beckett writes with coffee in one hand and a banned book in the other. Follow his caffeine-fueled crusades on X or explore his editorials here. Because banning books is the laziest kind of ignorance.
