Happy Valentine's Day! These are the most banned romance novels in Florida, US schools
Happy Valentine's Day! It's a day for romance, new love and stories of happy relationships. But if you're looking for romance books in Florida schools, you might get your heart broken.
Just in time for the holiday, PEN America released a list of romance novels from some of today's most popular authors that have been banned a lot in public schools and several are on lists of books pulled in Florida districts. Many were targeted for sexual content and were primarily books by and about women, LGBTQ+ people and people of color, the nonprofit advocacy group said in a release.
"With the backdrop of book bans suppressing more and more books about sexual experiences, female pleasure, and healthy boundaries, we want to celebrate and uplift romance writers and their vast audiences," said Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read program. "Books, particularly young adult books, that introduce romance and sex, can help young adults navigate universal human experiences: romance, sex, desire, and love.'
More than 10,000 books were banned across 29 states in the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America said, nearly triple the year before. PEN America defines a school book ban as any book made unavailable or restricted to students due to content as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to real or threatened action by government officials.
PEN America recorded 4.561 instances of book bans in 33 school districts, by their definition, in Florida's 2023-2024 school year, more than any other state.
Florida's Department of Education, which maintains that no books have been banned in state schools, released a list of around 700 books that were "removed or discontinued" from public schools that year in response to an objection from a parent of a student in the school district or a resident of the county where the school district is located.
Last year, top publishers Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers and Simon & Schuster sued the Florida State Board of Education and two counties over infringement of First Amendment rights for both readers and authors. A lawsuit from parents of Florida public school students opposed to the surge of book removals across the state was dismissed by a federal judge in January of this year.
Here are the most popular romance books no longer available in Florida schools.
The most popular romance books removed from shelves in Florida schools were:
The "" series by Sarah J. Maas, a fantasy romance and New York Times best-selling series following the journey and epic love story of 19-year-old Feyre Archeron after she is brought into the faerie lands of Prythian. The first book was one of the most borrowed titles in American public libraries in 2023 and 2024, according to NPR, and is also one of the most banned in schools nationwide for sexual content.
Removed in 2023-2024 school year in Bay, Brevard, Collier, Hernando, Indian River, and Manatee counties
Removed in 2022-2023 school year in Clay, Escambia, Flagler and Martin counties
The "Throne of Glass" series by Sarah J. Maas, a fantasy young adult New York Times best-selling series about Celaena Sardothien, a teenage assassin in a corrupt kingdom with a tyrannical ruler. Amazon.com rated the first book the "Best Book of the Month for Kids & Teens" in August 2012 and the USA TODAY review praised it. It is also a frequently banned series.
Removed in 2023-2024 school year in Bay, Hernando, Indian River, Leon, Manatee, Martin and Polk counties
Removed in 2022-2023 school year in Martin County
" by Malinda Lo, a young adult historical romance set in 1950s San Francisco where Lily Hu, a teenage daughter of Chinese immigrants, falls in love with another girl. Also a New York Times bestseller, it won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Stonewall Book Award for Young Adult Literature, the Asian/Pacific American Award for Youth Literature, and a Michael L. Printz Honor.
Removed in 2023-2024 school year in Volusia County
Removed in 2022-2023 school year in Clay County
Red, White and Royal Blue" by Casey McQuiston, a romance about the U.S. president's son falling in love with a British prince. It was a New York Times best-seller and a television adaption released by Amazon in 2023 became one of Prime's top three most-watched comedies.
Removed in 2022-2023 school year in Clay County
Other popular romance books on PEN America's frequently banned lists, "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green, "Like a Love Story" by Abdi Nazemian and the "Twilight" series by Stephanie Meyer, did not appear on Florida's removed lists.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Top romance novels removed from Florida schools include Maas, McQuiston
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