Towering works of literature are among books removed from Florida schools in line with a new conservative state law – but preeminent publishers and writers are fighting the measure in court.
Critics are bewildered that among the books removed are Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina.
This follows the passing of a Florida law that allows schools to ban certain books from their student libraries.
The BBC reports that major book publishers, including Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, are suing the state of Florida over the law, arguing that it violates First Amendment rights to free speech.
Florida officials responded to the lawsuit by calling it a “stunt,” and have denied that the state has banned books.
Said Florida Department of Education spokesperson Sydney Booker: “There are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”
According to a report released in April by Pen America, a non-profit advocating for free speech, Florida had 3,135 book bans recorded from July 2021 to December 2023 – the highest in the country.
Pen America has said that the majority of books removed are ones that “talk about LGBTQ+ identities, that includes characters of colour, that talk about race and racism, that include depictions of sexual experiences in the broadest interpretation of that understanding”.