Stephen King gave a blunt three-word response to discovering that 23 of his books are banned from school libraries in Florida, US, under a law now being challenged by six major publishers.
In 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a landmark law targeting books that included any type of explicit sexual material, following a complaint from the conservative group Moms for Liberty.
The law came into effect in July 2023, and has led to the withdrawal of famous classics such as A happy world by Aldous Huxley and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Mark Twain from elementary, middle, and high school libraries. Even nonfiction books such as The diary of Anne Frank.
Among King’s novels that allegedly were banned are Carrie, It, The Gunslinger, The Fugitive y The long march.
King, no stranger to expressing his political opinions, was quick to speak out when he learned how many of his books were banned: “Florida banned 23 of my books. What the f***?”
Six major publishers—Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, MacMillan Publishers, and Sourcebooks—joined forces to object to the law’s “broad book takedown provisions.”
In one Press releaserepresentatives of the publishers highlighted the potential abuses of the law that can occur once a complaint is filed.
The statement reads: “House Bill 1069 requires school librarians to remove books that include content that could be construed as ‘sexual in nature,’ without regard to the overall educational value of the work. If ‘a parent or county resident’ objects to a book, the book must be removed within five days and remain out of circulation until the objection is resolved. There is no requirement to reevaluate a book within a reasonable period of time, or to reinstate it if it is found not to be in violation. If a book is returned to a library, the objector may request that a state-appointed magistrate conduct a review, at the school district’s expense.”
Florida has banned 23 pf my books.
What the fuck?— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 31, 2024
The message adds: “Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences in order to learn and grow. It is crucial to the education of our young people that teachers and librarians can use their professional expertise to recommend books by our authors to the right reader at the right time in their life.”
On the other hand, Sydney Booker, spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Education, rejected the publishers’ demand and declared the BBC that it was a ‘publicity stunt’. He also said that “no book [estaba] banned in Florida,” and that “sexually explicit material and teaching are not [eran] appropriate for schools.”
Translation by Sara Pignatiello
