Officials from the Indian River County School Board in Tallahassee have banned Alan Gantz’s children’s novel Ban This Book, which discusses the themes of book banning. The ban will take effect in elementary and middle schools.
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The book is about a fictional fourth grader who sets up a secret library in response to her school board’s removal of various books. According to USA Today, the board’s justification for banning Gratz’s book was its portrayal of other books that had been previously banned and its theme of questioning school board authority, which they labeled as promoting rebellion. Jennifer Pippin, head of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a national conservative group, advocated for banning Gantz’s book when presenting it to school board officials.
In response to the book ban, Gantz pointed out the irony and said, “They banned the book because it talks about the books that they have banned and because it talks about book banning.” He also expressed concern that the school board was aware of the controversial nature of their actions and wanted to avoid scrutiny by removing his book from circulation.
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The school board passed the ban with a 3-2 vote. However, two of the board members who voted in favor were endorsed by Moms for Liberty during their election campaigns, and the third was a recent appointee by Governor Ron DeSantis.
Meanwhile, the book-rating website BookLooks.org, associated with Moms for Liberty, rated “Ban This Book” relatively low for inappropriateness, highlighting a disconnect between the book’s perceived and actual content. Educational programs and social media users also criticized the decision.
Expect things to get much, MUCH worse if Trump wins in November.