Well… it did not take long. School has been back in session in Florida for only a few weeks and the book banning band of discordant musicians is back in full swing. People on Facebook (and only God knows where else) are claiming that The Diary of Anne Frank has been banned in our schools. Not so.
Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation has been removed from a Vero Beach high school library as it should have been. As the former owner of a comic book store where hundreds of “graphic” novels were sold, I implore you to forget the illustrated version of this powerful story and read the actual book. Literacy skills are lacking. Reading is imperative to having a civilized society and there is no greater illustrator than the human mind.
Some books never need to be lessened in importance by drawings that have nothing to do with the core reason for reading the book in the first place. If you did not see A Small Light (mini series), find a streaming service that offers it and pay, if necessary, to watch it. For anyone who needs pictures to imagine what Anne Frank’s life must have been like, this is the series for you. You will never forget what you see.
I am always confused when I see posts on Facebook claiming that books are being banned in Florida. In what counties is this happening? Who is banning books? Have local library doors been locked and chained. Have book stores been shuttered? Is it no longer possible to buy or borrow the tome of your choice?
There are a few teachers listed in my Rolodex and when asked, they told me that books containing inappropriate age related material have been removed from classrooms. Those same books are still available with parental approval in school libraries. The state of Florida does not have a list of banned books, but local school districts do have the authority to determine that access to certain books be limited by age and grade. Hmmm. That does make sense. No third grader should be reading Debbie Does Dallas no matter who thinks the story is about a ropin’ and ridin’ cowgirl rodeo star.
I can tell you that some of the books which are mandatory reading in the lower grades have given my grandchildren nightmares and raised fears that should not be a part of early education. Not all books are good for all children. Parents know their kids better than anyone else.
Why do people believe what they read on the internet? Most of it is untrue and carries a not so well hidden agenda. If you want your child to read a book that is not available in school, go to the public library. What a wonderful opportunity to get kids a library card and teach them how to use it. Your taxes have paid for the building and all it contains. Technically, the library belongs to you… the resident of the city where it is located. If, as has been said, this is about control, the library is where you can exert ultimate control. No one is stopping you from doing that. There are no guards at the library’s front door preventing you from entering. No one is checking your shopping cart on the way out. Last I heard, Barnes and Noble was still in business and planning to open 30 new stores.
To the best of my knowledge, every teacher was asked to make a list of the books in their classroom. Certain books were then placed in a restricted area of the school library. The book lists became a part of a data base available for parents to review. No doubt, the creation of those lists was a tedious task but not one meant to conjure images of bonfires burning in city streets.
If you want to expose your child to written material that is beyond their comprehension… if you want to open the door to questions for which the answers could cause confusion… if you are driven to fight against sane policy merely because you do not like the person and/or party that wrote said policy, go for it. Be prepared to handle the consequences in years to come.
Trust me, there will be consequences. Have you bought groceries lately?
BTW: Most everything you have read about teachers getting arrested is a lie. In fact, most everything you read about this bill is a lie. Interpretation of the bill has nothing to do with literacy.
Donna Carbone is the Executive Director/Playwright in Residence at the Palm Beach Institute for the Entertainment Arts, where education through entertainment is the mission statement.
Please visit PBIEA at: pbinstituteforentertainmentarts.com