Hear from author who had 20 of her books banned in Florida school district

[@deanfiora4227]

Not once has history remembered book banners as the good guys.

[@lukeyork5213]

well they will this time lol. We dont need that garbage

[@michaelwoodward3329]

Never in history has sexuality been pushed onto children the way we're seeing today.

[@michaelwoodward3329]

The same thing can be said for the people trying to take guns from the citizens.

[@tchristianphoto]

@@lukeyork5213 Which "garbage," exactly? Cite examples.

[@julesnagbunga1204]

Oh really! Garbage like To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World, 1984? Then again I doubt you ever read any of the classic novels!

[@jenswetter251]

95% of everything you think your child should not see, hear or read are on your child's phone, readily available, including the contents of all the books you witness being taken from shelves. Your child needs your attention, your empathy and your time, not your own fears. Books are the road to critical thinking, which is the single most important skill they will need in life.

[@23merlino]

what a refreshingly sane and realistic comment... :-)

[@gottalovegabe1176]

Absofuckinglutly!

[@pattic8473]

Yep! If your child wants to read a book, they will, one way or another. Knowing what your child is reading opens the door for a teaching and learning opportunity. Better from a parent than someone else.

[@dsquared341]

Young children shouldn’t have smart phones or unsupervised internet access.

[@pattic8473]

@@dsquared341 True but I think the conversation is about teens.

[@0MG.N0]

Why is it that every time you hear about some group that has the words "for liberty" in the name (like "Mums for Liberty"), it turns out that what they love most is to infringe on the liberty of others? Quite amazing.

[@hartubmoses6645]

Right!

[@j.jnerdamy320]

Should change their name to "Moms for Illiteracy"

[@susaneweinberg4411]

It’s what is called “Orwellian”.

[@herlandercarvalho]

@@susaneweinberg4411 Yet, the same people LOVE to mention "1984" and "Orwellian" too. It is almost funny, if not for the social harm this propaganda is doing to our society.

[@January.]

​@@j.jnerdamy320 Absolutely agree. They're the majority of the people who populate this country.

[@ianreed9571]

"The secret to freedom is in educating the people, whereas the secret to tyranny is keeping them ignorant." Robespierre

[@TheMINDL3SSGamers]

Her books were so child friendly, news stations has to censor them during desantis’s expose the book ban.

[@Tate-Trump-Fan]

Pretty ironic coming from one of the tyrants in history

[@michelletoni3067]

Truth!!!!

[@leadoucet1432]

​@@Tate-Trump-Fan ironic how the USA's founders modeled the country upon Robespierre's France....

[@harold9394]

@@TheMINDL3SSGamers DeSantis is anti capitalism.

[@timkaldahl]

Any parent who puts a cell phone in their kids hands needs to shut up about what their kid might find in the library.

[@catabolistnyc1207]

Brilliant, Tim!

[@optimalprimidius7295]

I cannot like that comment enough!

[@franklin9400]

What a winning message? Or was it just supposed to make you feel better? Because that isn't a message, many are going to join up with.

[@Lerian_V]

As a DeSantis supporter, I totally agree.

[@Noneofyourbizniz1]

Ding ding. Like make it make sense. They just mad for the sake of just being mad. They don’t even know what they r talking about cuz they r brainwashed.

[@ShyLuna44]

I was severely abused by my mom. I taught myself to read as an escape from my horrible life. I would read anything to escape. This is so damaging in so many ways! Kids reading nowadays is a really good thing! This is nothing but to keep children ignorant so they become good ignorant voters when they grow up.

[@marclucido5721]

Yeah because preventing them from reading sexually explotiative books definitely keeps them ignorant towards the most important things in life right? You are what we call a groomer and a pedo

[@intercat4907]

Thank you for speaking up. I am glad you are here.

[@keldaogg2157]

Good for you for taking care of yourself.

[@Wendy-ov5hu]

🥰

[@vicm6561]

Unless they are being taught to give a grown man a blow job ! I’d say that qualifies for a book ban for kids . Parents by all means buy her books have a blast fixing your kid years from now

[@joerogain5025]

"What you are seeing.....is not what's happening." George Orwell 1984

[@aceboogisback9946]

They're Orwellian to the core. It's not cancel culture when they do it, it's freedom!

[@TheMahayanist]

​@@aceboogisback9946 It shouldn't be surprising. The Republicans literally are NOTHING except the lies they tell. Why do you think the nominated Trump and elected people like George Santos? Falsehood IS the Republican Party.

[@doughannan6935]

- Tucker Carlson 2023

[@ecurewitz]

Donald Trump: 'What you're seeing and what you're reading is not what's happening'

[@markmierzejewski9534]

Trump said the same damn thing go figure.

[@cathichristian4142]

In high school, I had to read a book about Hiroshima and one about the Holocaust. Great books that told the story of a person who was actually there and suffered as a result of these events. I'm a boomer and I have lived my life not the least bit tainted by those books. I am glad I know what people went through and I am against those events ever happening again. It impacts my voting to this day which means I would never vote for DeSantis or Trump.

[@courtneyscott5630]

Cathi Christian:Exactly and I am a Millennial and I love reading books and especially about what happened in history and it's very educational and open minded!!!

[@willielee5253]

@ I read a book by a Jewish author who wrote about the Holocaust, and she advised, "beware, it could happen to you." Banning and burning their books led them being burned alive. If one doesn't learn from history then one is destined to repeat it. Remember???

[@bradjones5107]

Her books are literally child porn! How to give a hand job. You can not be that brainwashed into not doing your own research! Big Banks are closing. And the Bailouts aren't coming. SVB(Silicon Valley Bank) customers are out millions, everything but the $250,000 FDIC backing. Wells Fargo and Bank of America are talking about restricting withdrawals. Do you think this would be happening if we had President Trump's Leadership? CNN is feeding you Dog Turds, telling you it's Escargot!

[@vshilov19]

💯 % agree

[@robynliteracy7057]

That's why they're banning books. They don't want informed citizens like you. They want people, like the woman who followed the party line, applying to ban 92 books she hadn't fully read. She's following orders.

[@t.a.k.palfrey3882]

Sir, my family's experience during our six years whilst I worked in the US, was that school children are treated as if they were several years less mature than children are viewed as being elsewhere in the western world. My oldest was given English novels to read in grade 6 which he'd read at grade 3 before our move. We left, partly because we wanted our kids to grow with a facility for critical thinking and initiative.

[@brianbice1427]

They have one of the worst education systems in the world going by how far down the list they are in the world and they are going to get worse now in these red states

[@what8562]

This troll account posts this text under absolutely any CNN video? Why? In the US, there are no limitations on what your child can read. No requirements to stick in the class which your child has outgrown. At high school level, you are free to take college classes. It is not what we are talking here. We are talking about public libraries in public schools. What's happening is outrageous but it is another story altogether.

[@trollwhisperer1770]

​@@what8562 Sorry, but OP is correct. That's why when my family came back to the states, I was able to graduate at 16 and test out of gen ed classes in college to get my first degree at 18, I'm not that smart, US education, especially in FL where I graduated, is just that terrible. The US has a habit of infantilism. The avg teenager anywhere else in the world is more of an adult than most 21 yr olds in America and it's bc the gated community Karen's "protect" them so much that they never get to actually grow up, they just learn to act like one until their mental/emotional breakdown.

[@what8562]

@@trollwhisperer1770 Florida education is terrible. If my goal ever was to "get my first degree (?)" At 18, I could have, but I started taking college classes at 13, the minimum age requirement for my state and was able to have the classes I took while in HS to be transferred to the university without the need for tests. You can do anything you want in the US education-wise. Except, possibly, being fucked by your teacher with every adult shrugging it off as "also an education". Parents' rights are more emphasized that the state interest in the child, for better or worse, this is true. Otherwise, I do not see my European, and Asian, relatives as somehow more "mature". They do rely on the system more. Often because it is a good system

[@ryanelliott6706]

No child left behind = no child excels

[@joerogain5025]

"The point of modern propaganda isn't only to misinform or push an agenda. It is to exhaust your critical thinking and to annihilate truth." Garry Kasparov

[@moguns1971]

Like only really 2 gndrs

[@ryanelliott6706]

Pretty sure Covid coming from a lab is just common sense.

[@bradhombre6912]

How long before they try to ban Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and The Diary of Anne Frank?

[@writerjohnmcnally]

All three have been banned at various times.

[@bookgirlny8511]

Where you been?

[@TheMINDL3SSGamers]

Her books were so child friendly, news stations has to censor them during desantis’s expose the book ban.

[@denisethorbjornsen7493]

Governor Ron DeSantis already banned The diary of Anne Frank

[@stevesmith291]

Those have all been subject to bans at one time or another.

[@barrythomas1148]

As a native Floridian, I'd like to say in our defense it ain't us! DeSantis has attracted right-wing fanatics from all over the country, and they are overwhelming sane and decent people here.

[@silence1869]

Your state voted for him overwhelmingly

[@factofthematter7685]

Be proud of him. He's the greatest politician of this Era.

[@sylvi4444]

You should move to Cali

[@vicm6561]

That don’t want young children reading books they are not mature enough to understand ... NO books are banned the parents have spoken they don’t want smut in the school libraries . You are welcome to screwup your small child and buy these books for your child at home but I bet most parents are against these books. Those advocating for them I can pretty much guarantee don’t have small children.

[@m.mitchell1825]

Of course, it is. I lived in that hellish state for 26 years and escaped with my life. It is filled with moochers, idiots, scumbags. The stupid part is supporting people that will take your pensions away. Enjoy the storms, bugs, bad medical care, nasty people. Secede,

[@martin2289]

"Moms for Liberty"... Ha. How rich. Apparently, the "liberty" involved is that to ban anything they disapprove of for whatever reason (if you can even call it such). These folks are always oblivious to irony. Or they're just deeply cynical.

[@j.jnerdamy320]

Moms for liberty, more like "Moms for Illiteracy"

[@willielee5253]

@ more like jealousy, some are blessed more then others. I wonder how many "moms" are book writers???

[@TheMahayanist]

Moms Against Liberty is the correct name.

[@willielee5253]

@@TheMahayanist it seems they no longer want liberty, or the lost the meaning of it or its worth.

[@KevinQHall]

Martin, it's not fair for you to use words like "oblivious", "irony", and ''cynical"--you only understand those words/concepts if you have an extensive vocabulary, which means you read. Obviously, these folks don't.

[@joerogain5025]

"Fascism will come to America wrapped in the 🇺🇲 FLAG carrying a CROSS ✝." Sinclair Lewis

[@joerogain5025]

"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities." Voltaire

[@harold9394]

The right and their gullible hate filled base.

[@noelpucarua2843]

"Those who can make you believe quotations from someone can make you commit absurdities" Me

[@bigearl3867]

@@noelpucarua2843 Except Voltaire actually said that quotation. This is why one should investigate what one post on the internet.

[@FirstIsa]

@@noelpucarua2843 It's literally from Voltaire's eleventh letter of "Collection des lettres sur les miracles". In English the full quote reads: Once your faith, sir, persuades you to believe what your intelligence declares to be absurd, beware lest you likewise sacrifice your reason in the conduct of your life. In days gone by, there were people who said to us: “You believe in incomprehensible, contradictory and impossible things because we have commanded you to; now then, commit unjust acts because we likewise order you to do so.” Nothing could be more convincing. Certainly anyone who has the power to make you believe absurdities has the power to make you commit injustices. If you do not use the intelligence with which God endowed your mind to resist believing impossibilities, you will not be able to use the sense of injustice which God planted in your heart to resist a command to do evil. Once a single faculty of your soul has been tyrannized, all the other faculties will submit to the same fate. This has been the cause of all the religious crimes that have flooded the earth. If you know French and want to translate it yourself here you go: Mais, Monsieur, en étant persuades par la foi, des choses qui paraissent absurdes à notre intelligence, c’est-à-dire, en croyant ce que nous ne croyons pas, gardons-nous de faire ce sacrifice de notre raison dans la conduite de la vie. ‘Il y a eu des gens qui ont dit autrefois, vous croyez des choses incompréhensibles, contradictoires, impossibles, parce que nous vous l’avons ordonné; faites donc des choses injustes parce que ‘nous vous l’ordonnons. Ces gens-là raisonnaient à merveille. Certainement qui est en droit de vous rendre absurde, est en droit de vous rendre injuste. Si vous n’opposez point aux ordres de croire l’impossible, l’intelligence que Dieu a mise dans votre esprit, vous ne devez point opposer aux ordres de mal faire, la justice que Dieu a mise dans votre cœur. Une faculté de votre âme étant une fois tyrannisée, toutes les autres facultés doivent l’être également. Et c’est là ce qui a produit tous les crimes religieux dont la terre a été inondée. Maybe if you had spent some time studying classical philosophers you wouldn't be so quick to make stupid comments.

[@ecurewitz]

And QAnon is an absurdity producing machine

[@julielevasseur7391]

This is the behavior taking place while fascism was on the rise in Germany.

[@Sandra-zg8pf]

Not to compare to the present..in Florida..and elsewhere..right now *cough*cough*

[@JimCastleberry]

Why do you support child sexual grooming and gender mutilation?

[@gab4690]

How many times have you copy and pasted this reply I've seen it like a hundred times

[@cowboyx9380]

Correct the democraps are very similar to Adolf, Stalin, and mussolini…censorship, banning guns, and creating a police state…yup, thats dems playbook!

[@courtneyscott5630]

Julie Levasseur:Exactly!!!!

[@pamtuffield9385]

Why has a Mom for Liberty more power to decide what kids read than their parents? Where’s the liberty in that?

[@deanfiora4227]

If an organization's name includes the word "liberty," "patriot," or "freedom," I always assume they're against it.

[@factofthematter7685]

Pro tip: The parents overwhelmingly voted in DeSantis.

[@CascadeDuSel]

They have more power because of Desantis’s so called Parent Bill of Rights

[@vicm6561]

Imagine that As a parent my children are my responsibility! Foreign concept to democrats . Not one Democrat in Congress voted for the parents bill of rights ... NOT ONE

[@CascadeDuSel]

@@vicm6561 because it’s a horrible idea with even more reprehensible outcomes for students

[@alisonplante908]

Jodi Picoult was my 8th grade English teacher! I'm so proud of her for speaking out on this issue.

[@sedg03]

That's impressive!

[@amercanmade2685]

Ok then can you say what would be the common thread that would cause 22 books of hers to be removed? It can not be about the Holocaust we have many stories about the 11 million Jews Hitler murdered. I can not believe this was the reason. So since you know her what do you think was the issues inside her books that caused them to be removed?

[@sedg03]

Because Jodi is cool. And our entitled, selfish, @ fellow American Christians have doomed themselves and their fellow man to hell on earth. Climate disaster *is coming, like it or not? Want it or not? Obama worked his fingers to the bone, trying to get ppl to accept changes cld help us... and he was denounced n soundly thrashed as the black devil incarnate by the Christian contingent. Until? Even he accepted defeat and saw that we are doomed by our arrogant sense of entitlement. Stupid. Uneducated. Foolish. Superstitious. Unwilling to bend or compromise... Thats the little problem we're facing... Apparently Russia China Saudis Iran Brazil All have their citizens in obeisance to their Gov'ts? And us brit, Canadian's n Americans are unruly spoiled kids who expect lavish life styles and no govt retrainsts accepted? We've doomed ourselves :(

[@vade137]

Yeah...because they banned, "The International Jew: The Worlds Foremost Problem" by Henry Ford. So, lets stop banning books, all books are great.

[@sedg03]

@@vade137 banning books. Like our past commie times? Like Hitler's regime? Seems theres a link between advanced societies where no books are banned? And short lived societies in flux, attempting stranglehold on society for reasons such as #DEZNAT, or nazism, along w book banning. Days w so.much freedom? No lawyers were needed to express one's speech...

[@elizabethpenny7732]

I remember those wonderful heart wrenching books in my school library that were serials called “I was there…” reintroducing children to real world difficulties, such as wars, the evolution of America, the Underground Railroad, all of the wars. The Dunkirk evacuation was the most poignant for me. These books were meant for mature children to read through the voice of a child’s view of occurrences. They shaped my character and honor system. I never took my peaceful life for granted. I am 61 years old. I wish I was as brave as my heroes and heroines were in their narratives.

[@christophermorgan3261]

I remember that series too when I was a kid. . . I was there at the Alamo etc

[@theblade9024]

That's the main concern. Non readers banning books. DeSantis has put idiots in charge of developing intelligence.

[@marvinfrederick6363]

@@theblade9024 facts

[@teresaellis895]

I agree.The world if reading took me many places. I'm not referring to this author but...if my granddaughter in 2nd grade brings home a book that has a photo of a man standing behind another with his....inserted...no its not appropriate.I don't care how they sugar coat it

[@spotty67]

Bravo.

[@stephenbouchelle7706]

Maybe the book challengers should have to read the book and write an original 5 page essay to have a book reviewed (no copy and paste or AI bots allowed).

[@ellecrescent9834]

Great idea

[@vicm6561]

Where have you been ? Parents have been reading from these books for months at school board meetings . The school board tells them to stop because it’s offensive and graphic 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@BeaulieuTodd]

It’s absolutely incredible that adults think this is how to behave.

[@StephBer1]

Her books are NOT romance. They are challenging and thought-provoking. I doubt that woman who banned them has ever read a book and she has no right to destroy the happiness of those who actually know how to read and know how to use their brain.

[@9751matt]

Her topics often touch upon grim stuff like school shootings and other things not exactly age appropriate for kids younger then 10. They were in grade school libraries.

[@sharons5714]

I ha e read most of her books, and I don’t think they would appeal to children. I agree with StephBer1 that her books are thought provoking. They can be the starting point for excellent discussions.

[@Mikathedog100]

​@@9751matt if kids younger than 10 are finding, reading and fully comprehending 350 paged books, then good on them. I doubt there's many kids that capable. Most kids that age would be bored by the front cover let alone the entire book

[@sylvi4444]

Get them at you local library, not the school, I as a parent should have that choice!

[@gregXxo]

@@sylvi4444 They shouldn't have school libraries at all just to be safe

[@pattykelly6621]

Did you present fascism in a negative light? That would do it. These fascists don't want anyone calling them out.

[@pm6693]

I'm amazed that DeSantis hasn't decreed that there will be book-burning evenings in every town square in Florida. SS uniforms optional...

[@glep3570]

What book banners never understand is that if you have reached the point of banning/burning books then you have already lost the battle. It means that the ideas you hate are already percolating through the society.

[@KevinQHall]

Here's a unique thought for all our book-banning "parents': rather than trying to ban what your child (and everyone else's child) can read, how 'bout you sit down and talk with your child about the book instead. It's called parenting. You should try it. You might be surprised! Be warned though: to do that, you'll BOTH have to put your cell phones down! *gasp*

[@KevinQHall]

@shane3214 Why is the right-wing always crying "victim". The state isn't trying to "push" anything on your kids. Why don't you put on some big boy pants, go pick some books with your kids, and do the job (raising your kids) that you're never happy with anybody else doing even though you refuse to take the time to do it yourself.

[@factofthematter7685]

I really don't want to sit down with my son and explain to him a book about how to have gay sex. He's 7.

[@KevinQHall]

@@factofthematter7685 Could you please tell me the title of the exact book you're referring to (that explains how to have gay sex) and the library or school where your 7-year-old had access to it? Nevermind, I forgot: it's on the shelf next to "The Teacher's Guide for Grooming Children" and "Climate Change: the Hoax Perpetuated by Conflagration-Inducing Jewish Space Lasers". If you people would read some actual books with your kids rather than shoving a phone in their hand and spending all your time on twitter reading about the terrible things that schools are doing to your children, your kids would be a LOT better off. What they're getting on their phones is MUCH worse than anything in the library.

[@Mikathedog100]

​@@factofthematter7685 if your son is borrowing books on gay sex at 7yo then, yeah, you need to talk to him. That being said, if he can do that he's reading WAY above average - he's not though, is he? And even if you put the book in front of him he wouldn't know what to do with it.

[@tonymockeridge338]

I think what scares a lot of these dolts who want to ban books, is the fact they contain words of more than two syllables. Seriously, parents should be disgusted that the state sees fit to take on the role of parent as Jodi so accurately articulated. It is the state saying parents don't know how to monitor their own children's choices, so they'll have to do it for them.

[@sharonmassey2923]

These poor kids are really going to pay for their ignorant parents when it comes to competing for anything that requires intellect. They are being set up for low-paying, dead-end jobs and dead-end lives. It is child abuse.

[@aceboogisback9946]

Just remember guys, it's not cancel culture when they do it, it's freedom!

[@beaur252]

When "they" do it, it doesnt include racism and pornographic smut in the classroom.

[@aceboogisback9946]

@@beaur252 You think you're saying something profound but I haven't seen smut or racism in the books that were banned. We read Huckleberry Finn aloud in my class, a book that references a racial slur towards black people over 219 times. I bet you didn't cry racism over the last 90+ years that book has been in school libraries, have you?

[@beaur252]

@@aceboogisback9946 Well, sir, respectfully, you have not done much research. there are many instances of straight up smut being in school library books. And not just one school or even just one state. But I will give you but one example; Do a search for this title video; "Florida Gov. Ron Desantis speaks about book Bans" The whole video is worth watching and a list of books as well as where some were found are listed. But for the graphics; scroll to 1:00 and watch until 2:50. Let me know what you think afterwards, sir.

[@aceboogisback9946]

@@beaur252 I watched the video you sent and none of that offends me; I think it's good that we teach sex education to young people, and, whether you agree with it or not, some children identify as homosexual; it's not something that's learned. I also consider Ron DeRacist to be a racist.

[@beaur252]

@@aceboogisback9946 Not a matter of homosexual or heterosexual. Those things, adult content, doesnt not belong in the schools. Period. The fact you find all of that ok, tells me alot about you. You are a fringe type poltical driven fanatic. That stuff is basically pornography and subjecting kids to it should be criminal. Anyone in support of this should be forced to undergo involuntary psychiatric evalutation to assure they are not a danger to children of our society.

[@innerlocus]

DeSantis knows how to whistle call in his flock and empty their wallets and their minds, I know, what minds.

[@julesv5670]

I love what she said about *parent your own kids, not everyone elses* I own every single one of Jodi’s books and I adore her stance is all of them. She’s a talented and wonderful author❤

[@sylvi4444]

Well obviously I have to parent my child to your standards, not mine. How is that right? She’s a wonderful author according to you but I don’t have to agree. Go to your local library and you can take out all the books you want your child to read.

[@amercanmade2685]

Then I will ask you. There are thousands of books on the Hollocost and the 11 Million Jews murder by Hitler. Just why would her books be in a ban list? What would you say was the cause? Or the issue other Parents may have had. Whatever it is must run through all her books since she had so many banned. I do not think it was because she was writing another book about the Jews murdered by Hitler. There is something else here

[@noahoates6950]

I really love her books too. I am actually reading her novel Sing You Home right now. I have first read Sing You Home in high school and it’s a really good book. Jodi Picoult is one of my favourite authors too.

[@steved4748]

@@sylvi4444 Couldn’t agree more, we we’re required to read one of her books for my 10th grade English class and it was borderline smut. I had no idea how the school board allowed our teacher to forcefully read a book like that. This was pre smart phone days so the excuse that kids see it all doesn’t apply to this. The book dove heavily into various sex acts, date rape, drugging and suicide all pertaining to minors as well as religious theology. It’s not like this book was some classic either. I could see why parents would be upset with this stuff being pushed on students, I wouldn’t even want to read it as an adult and I read some pretty heavy stuff.

[@MilkByCow]

I don’t read novels but my exposure to them and their authors came from a part time job at an Indigo Books to pay for college. Jodi Picoult is a name I’ve recognized forever but this is the first time I’ve seen her face and heard her voice. She’s not a huge presence outside the writing world but she’s pretty accomplished. The LGBTQ community is merely the first group these Florida books bans are targeting. Mrs. Picoult is now saying her books with zero romance are being banned as well. America May be the greatest country in the world but that also means we are great at housing unspeakably evil people and they vote.

[@serraangel7465]

She is a fabulous story teller.

[@Lerian_V]

Her books are for adults. She admits to writing about abortion and stuff.

[@MilkByCow]

@@dickjones8119 - tell that to the mass shooters.

[@harold9394]

@@dickjones8119 You should leave kids alone you perv.

[@j.jnerdamy320]

@@dickjones8119 moms for Illiteracy should leave people alone. Let the kids and their actual parents make decisions on what to read instead of some group.

[@earthrider700]

Deathsantis the Fascist

[@keepingit8797]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Triggered much loser lefty!

[@lspiegel5704]

I hope some group takes this to the Supreme Court. Book banning is unconstitutional. It flies in the face of the 1st amendment.

[@julesnagbunga1204]

Other novels banned in some states in the US include Brave New World, To Kill a Mockingbird, and The Kiterunner! WTF?

[@factofthematter7685]

Define banned please. Cocaine is illegal in all states but I bet you can still find it. Somehow I bet you are still allowed to own, sell, buy and read any book by anyone in any state. Prove me wrong. I'll mail you a copy of Mein Kampf right now in a clear plastic bag and you'll be reading it in 5 days.

[@beck1365]

Reading has opened the world for me for over 50 years. I wish that for my children, grandchildren and all children. Glad we have public libraries to fill the gap left by school censorship.

[@grandmak.]

I think the biggest problem are parents who themselves don't read. They see books as a threat because they are afraid of what might be in them that makes their kids smarter than their parents are.

[@HaleksMTL]

Do you think "Mein Kampf" or "Final Exit" should be in school libraries then? How about the book entitled "A SINGLE DOG" in which one can find the following "Poem"written by 10-year-old “Lee,” explored the merits of cutting out her mother’s heart and eating it: "Chew and eat your mom Boil and eat her, bake and eat her Spoon her eyeballs and eat them, Pick out all of her teeth Tear her hair out Turn her into lean meat and eat as soup If she sheds tears, lick them up Eat her heart last" If you do, then okay you are coherent in your beliefs, if you don't then you do not understand why censorship is necessary around children environments, for their own protection, and yes, sometimes unintended targets will be hit, but that is always part of any type of censorship in any context.

[@paulinelarson465]

Public libraries will be next ! They , after all are "public" and we can't have those sort of things in public ! !

[@Mikathedog100]

​​@@HaleksMTL has Mein Kampf ever been in ANY school library? I can tell you now, the answer is no. It's an incredibly poor attempt at comparison. As for the poem, have you read Roald Dahl? Lemony Snicket's? Macbeth? Hell, Huckleberry Finn? They all use language like that. It's just a kid's attempt at trying to write their own style of "Revolting Rhymes."

[@MichaelDeHaven]

​@@HaleksMTLDude, we don't even have to go to "Mein Kampf" to find some pretty gross stuff. PSALM 137:9 KJV Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones.

[@johnsarradet2459]

Every bookstore should have a section for books that were banned in florida.

[@adolfhochhaltinger4040]

In 1933 Germany it began in a frightening similar way...

[@alansmitheejr.]

Only a spineless wonder would have books bannned.

[@jessiecarlson8492]

I grew up in a family where I could read whatever I wanted. I read My Sister's Keeper at 15. It just blows my mind that parents would put restrictions on what they can read. Granted my parents knew that I could determine for myself what was too much for me. Maybe these parents just don't trust their kid to make decisions. Oh and I read Z for Zachariah in 8th grade, mandatory to read with the class. I turned out fine. If you know it you know it, I'm not explaining it.

[@jillclarke7264]

Reading is one of the most amazing gifts we have. Limiting education based on personal religious beliefs like DeSantis is reprehensible.

[@michaeleverest3487]

Republicans: " Freedom for me, not for thee!"

[@sandra47958]

Perfectly said 🇺🇸💙

[@bookgirlny8511]

That’s their bumper sticker

[@gab4690]

Yeah ok its republicans keep telling yourself that maybe you will even belive the lies.

[@TheMINDL3SSGamers]

Her books were so child friendly, news stations has to censor them during desantis’s expose the book ban.

[@melanatedone4894]

As a child I never picked up a Book I wasn’t interested in . We have the Daughter of the Confederacy picking books for us again . De Santis need to be challenged in court .

[@j.jnerdamy320]

He does

[@MrNeltoni]

Florida (DeSantis alone) should be sued for banning books which is protected by the First Amendment.

[@ashyjeremy]

You don't know what you're talking about.

[@Mikezzz749]

So you're not able to purchase these books in Florida?

[@Rolf-farmedfacts-supervisor]

Norway here, we associate bookbans with fascism, because the last time we had it forced upon us, was in the 40'ies. Its nobrainer, really. To ban insight is fascisms Modus Operandi🇳🇴🇺🇦

[@andrewthornber7783]

I hope it is not just me who sees the wonderful irony in banning a book about the rise of Nazis!

[@sandysutherland2182]

I don’t think that she should worry. I’ll bet that her book sales will skyrocket after this. The GOP continues to ‘Kick Own-Goals!

[@herlandercarvalho]

Everyone should worry, and not everything revolves around money.

[@yournanna866]

Can you ban the bible…

[@j.jnerdamy320]

​@mike lorenzo well, if DeSatan wants to get rid of all pornographic books shouldn't the Bible be on that list? It has abortions, the hard r, lots of murder and genocide, etc.

[@michaelscarlino1590]

Literature is vital, just look at those countries that ban books.

[@rossbabcock2974]

I read the Horatio Hornblower series when I was a kid. My heros were climbing on top of rockets, flying to the moon. I realize I'm 65 and come from a different generation. I got in my parents face with long hair, bell bottoms, and tie dye. That being said, I have a difficult time understanding what the hell is going on!

[@vicm6561]

Then honestly you should do some research . Look at the list of books removed from schools here in Florida cause ya might want to see if they are in your school district. Gavin Newsom on Teitter talks about this with “Gender Queer “ sitting on his desk. Gender Queer teaches boy on boy / man sex ! Check it out unless your a pedo you will be repulsed !

[@joerogain5025]

"WAR is PEACE FREEDOM is SLAVERY IGNORANCE is BLISS." George Orwell 1984

[@Slackbot]

IGNORANCE is STRENGTH.

[@markcosenza3274]

The Riots are mostly peaceful.

[@KootFloris]

As a kind of 11 and 12 I already read deep into the adult library. And it was wonderful! Learned so much from it. What did I read: history, SF, fantasy, popular science, philosophy.

[@sandiegotrafficlightstrain354]

I support the freedom for anyone to learn what they want. If anyone takes away that right, they are un-american.

[@ingridbrandt7710]

Big Brother from Orwell’s 1984 is alive and well in Florida. Horrifying.

[@Mikezzz749]

In 1984, in the Ministry of Truth there was a porno section which sent out pornography to the proles. It was a very important section of the Ministry of Truth. Is that what you're talking about?

[@Familylawgroup]

I love Jodi Picoult’s writing and I hate that her fabulous books have received the I’ll-deserved focus of conservative ire.

[@janel7188]

Jodi Picoult, one of the best contemporary writers right now.

[@bradjones5107]

Her book had to be censored for television due to the graphic pornographic content matter at Ron DeSantis' news conference. CNN is feeding you Dog Turds, telling you it's Escargot!

[@noelpucarua2843]

"contemporary writers right now" What other time could she be contemporary?

[@sisuguillam5109]

​@@noelpucarua2843 all writers were contemporary at one point. Noel, was it really worth it leaving that post? The person clearly left a word in their sentence that should be removed for clarity - but that does not take away from their comment.

[@noelpucarua2843]

@@sisuguillam5109 Where is your sense of humour? Everyone knows what Jane L meant. And I'm sure Jane L doesn't mind a little poke. By the way things have to be contemporary with something. So, "contemporary at some point" is as funny as "contemporary writers right now". But I do like your twist on the joke!

[@keldaogg2157]

I love her books. They deal with real life issues. They are well written.

[@JackRich-bt6cr]

So does the Bible but I bet you would protest that book!

[@keldaogg2157]

@@JackRich-bt6cr I don't know why you would say that. I'm against banning books, not for it. I have read the bible and I think anyone who wants should be able to read it too

[@JackRich-bt6cr]

@@keldaogg2157 And just like the Bible anyone can read her books outside school.

[@cherylsibson2529]

if it hadn't been for Margaret Attwood People wouldn't have a different point of view which is important to have in open societies, that helps young adults have different points of view.

[@Kenjie5103]

Please protect our children away from these gro0mers!

[@dickjones8119]

Critical race theory, transgender ideology, child pornography democrats should be ashamed of themselves.

[@Kenjie5103]

@@L3L3L3 I have one, also please dont reproduce ffs

[@j.jnerdamy320]

Yes, protect children from the real groomers: DeSatan and the Moms for Liberty group

[@pattykelly6621]

Yes, the GOP has shown how much they really care about kids. What you mean is please protect the white upper middle Class Christian Republican children

[@Samantha-lg1bw]

Parents, buy your kids e-readers! That way, you can monitor what they buy and read based on the values you want to instill. Problem solved 😌

[@julesnagbunga1204]

What! You choose what they read? While I agree with young children having guidance, I hope you weren't referring to teenagers!

[@Samantha-lg1bw]

@Jules Nagbunga no not teenagers. There's no controlling them unless you're footing the bill. I probably read some inappropriate books as a teenager, but I turned out okay.

[@sisuguillam5109]

How about you speak with your kids about what they are reading? You know... share what you are reading and why?

[@Samantha-lg1bw]

@@sisuguillam5109 that's the idea. Maybe I wasn't clear.

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@Samantha-lg1bw thanks for the answer. It read completly different.

[@mygrammieis]

He will always be in the historical BOoks for being asicko

[@lukeyork5213]

Actually he is protecting the kids from YOU sickos lol

[@marvinfrederick6363]

@@lukeyork5213 nope be go to foax they love you over there I can see you call yourself christain Don’t you Porn stuff in the Bible

[@peterharris8471]

Mom's for liberty is banning books? Maybe they should read one and find out what liberty is.

[@jerikarason2339]

Jodi Picoult has good books

[@radaring]

I live in the UK. My teenage kids 20th century history classes included watching both "Schindler's List" and "The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas" and a coach trip to Auschwitz....

[@NorthCarolinaMomma]

She’s my favorite author. I have all of her books and this is really disappointing. She writes great stories based on real issues.

[@loulew07]

Here in Florida since my WW2 22yr Navy vet dad retired here in 1966 , and like my dad , I have never followed a political party hell or high water. Florida Covid Deaths 86,294 with population of 21.78 million land area of 65,758SQM , compared to South Korea with a population of 51.74 million land area of 38,750 had 33,929 Covid deaths . The 1966 Miami Dolphins had more heart than the Bully Governor . He is JR Ewing in the state capital .

[@AmyEugene]

Hey! JR Ewing was the best villain in TV history, in my opinion, and DeSantis is no JR Ewing. DeSantis is much, much worse. JR, although often misguided, did many of his terrible deeds for the sake of the family, or at least the family company. I don't believe DeSantis gives a flying fig about any family and would sacrifice the good his own family if it meant more power for him.

[@DC-rd6oq]

I agree with the removal of some of the books that I heard were removed from younger children's classrooms and elementary school libraries. But this has now gone too far. A parent should not just be able to ask that a book be removed without reading the book, stating a clear and convincing reason, and citing specific pages/passages in support of that reason. Leave the books in the library while under review but maybe only allow them to be checked out if a parent signs off. There has to be a better solution than this.

[@AgentAika001]

If your book teaches someone not to be an unrepentant asshole, odds are your book will be banned in Florida

[@WPGinfo]

For some strange reason some people believe censorship solves 'moral issues'. Freedom of speech also means the freedom to offend or disagree; Without sanction. To come into contact with a broad array of info, opinions and ideas even / esp. those you disagree with, invites you to scrutinize your own ideas and values, while [hopefully] getting a better understanding of the ideas of others. This can only be seen as an enrichment of life. Education, fighting illiteracy, open discussion, and lots of verifiable information is the only solid basis for development of well-informed and stable individuals.

[@henrimatisse7481]

I loved reading as a child and Huck Finn showed me another culture. But most parents don't get involved in their children's education. It's really a shame

[@joerogain5025]

"Truth is the daughter of time, not authority." Frances Bacon

[@TheMINDL3SSGamers]

Her books were so child friendly, news stations has to censor them during desantis’s expose the book ban.

[@stevesmith291]

I think it was Francis Bacon, a guy.

[@elizabethpenny7732]

Please keep up the good fight.

[@nerdguru86]

I went to elementary and middle school in Martin County, FL!! Never had an issue growing up in the late 90's, early 2000's about books....now they are a problem? GTFOH🙄🙄🙄😡

[@sandydavis4022]

Knowledge is power

[@crismcdonough2804]

She needs to sue.

[@juliec5309]

Handmaid's tales was a book that was on the reading curriculum in Ontario when I was younger.

[@EugWanker]

Great book. Very good read for high school age students. Highly recommended.

[@mauriceortiz8817]

Folks who ban books don't like to read.

[@kepler186f4]

The accuser should submit a book report with their demand.

[@HCB.S]

Banning books or "removing democratic smut" means nothing more than wanting to implement fascism.

[@herlandercarvalho]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but aside from legal interpretations that are more broad, isn't the first amendment on the USA constitution exactly to prevent government encroachment over free speech? It seems this is pretty much it. I'd say this is a slam dunk case.

[@herlandercarvalho]

@@DC-rd6oq It is amazing, how you can be so utterly clueless! Board of Education, Island Trees Union Free School District v. Pico (1982) Supreme Court said school boards must work within First Amendment Justice William J. Brennan Jr. wrote the principal opinion of the Supreme Court. The opinion was joined in its entirety by Justices Thurgood Marshall and John Paul Stevens and in part by Justice Harry A. Blackmun. Relying on cases such as West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) and Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District (1969), Justice Brennan’s opinion reaffirmed that though “local school boards have broad discretion in the management of school affairs,” that discretion “must be exercised in a manner that comports with the transcendent imperatives of the First Amendment.” Justices said school boards could not remove books to suppress ideas On the principle that “the Constitution protects the right to receive information and ideas,” he concluded that the removal of books from the shelves of a school library implicates students’ First Amendment rights in part because of “the special characteristics of the school library.” Justice Brennan then concluded that school officials may not exercise their discretion to remove books from a school library based on “narrowly partisan or political” grounds, because doing so would amount to an “official suppression of ideas.” In a concurrence, Justice Blackmun rejected the notion that a school library was distinct from the school itself and also disagreed with the notion that students had a First Amendment “right to receive” in the context of a public school. He agreed, however, that school officials’ removal of books “for the purpose of restricting access to the political ideas, or social perspectives discussed in them, when that action is motivated simply by the officials’ disapproval of the ideas involved” was a violation of the First Amendment.

[@DC-rd6oq]

@@herlandercarvalho It's amazing how you can be so disingenuous!! Why don't you quote the rest of the Pico decision? Or even just admit how many of the nine justices said it violated the 1st amendment.

[@herlandercarvalho]

@@DC-rd6oq How's that even relevant? It was 5/4... What matters is that you have 5 SCOTUS Justices (who arguably know more about the constitution than me and you), have stated, that this was a first amendment issue. While you contested that it wasn't. There isn't anything else to spin here. There is a precedent, and in a 5 to 4 ruling, the SCOTUS determined that this was a violation of the First Amendment. Womp-womp!

[@DC-rd6oq]

@@herlandercarvalho Name the FIVE that said removing books violated the first amendment. You can't.

[@herlandercarvalho]

@@DC-rd6oq I am not sure what you hope to achieve with this dumb question, but here you go: The justices that ruled in favor of the plalintiffs: William J. Brennan Jr. Byron White Thurgood Marshall Harry Blackmun John P. Stevens The justices that dissent: Warren E. Burger Lewis F. Powell Jr. William Rehnquist Sandra Day O'Connor

[@philoctetes_wordsworth]

When I read about the McCarthy Era, I was sick, and terrified. I was told that would not happen gain. Nope. We are living in a time far worse, in my opinion. ronnie reagan only had an acting career, because he and joe mccarthy eliminated all of his competition, and the women whom had turned him down. Haven’t you ever wondered why there were only 3 or 4 truly handsome actors, for like 20 years (mid-50s to the 70s)? The Fascists have in fact taken over. Joe Biden FAILED to deal with January 6th in the way it truly demanded, and now, the Coup is washing over the nation.

[@jmgmarcus808]

He failed because in America it is FULLY LEGAL to protest. Go to China, Russia or N. Korea if you want your president to crush any opposition. Just like you have the right to get everything wrong and talk out of your @ss in the Cnn propaganda channel comment section. I

[@hartubmoses6645]

You mean the DOJ, Biden cannot punish offenders, but yeah, I feel the same way as you.

[@brigeengilroy3120]

As an adult and having read many of Jodies books, there is much to be learnt from them. Would really only be older children reading them, so feel ban is ridiculous. Have seen interviews with some young Americans, and can only feel more reading, not less, is needed.

[@joselramirez6740]

DeSantis kicking democrats out of Florida. Good for him.

[@stephanie-iy9xg]

Handmaid's tale was on my high school summer reading list..

[@joerogain5025]

"The truth is incontrovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is...." Churchill

[@mfcabrini]

No mystery why a book about the rise of fascism was banned. It holds a mirror to the government of FL.

[@davidhales8799]

Well stop grooming the kids.

[@Azulakayes]

I never thought I would live in an age, having been born in 1990 where books would be banned in the U.S. This is how civilisations decay and decline.

[@Sarcasticron]

Books save lives. Before they can challenge a book, parents should have to pass a test to show they've read and understood the book. Just the same sort of test that an English teacher might write for school children, nothing too challenging.

[@DUKE_of_RAMBLE]

Americans are going to latch onto DeSantis' teat, _just as they had_ with Trump... Yea, I fear for our country's future once again. 😔

[@asherdog9248]

If her books can still be sold and published in Florida it's not a book ban. If they are inappropriate for adolescents and teens it is called adult supervision. It has been going on since public education begain. I wouldn't want it any differently.

[@danihesslinger7968]

From Europe/Germany: book banning is terrifyingly fascist, but I am pretty sure that "children" will not even be interested in Jodi Picoult's books, because they often present a moral dilemma for grown-ups, and the tik tok generation prefers fun over sentimentality😃 I have read most of her books, just for the fun to find my own way out of the dilemmas she depicts. You all have gone crazy! And I bet that you have not even read the books you are banning - you go by topic mentioned on the back cover.

[@sisuguillam5109]

Kids are interested in her books. And they are still reading.

[@danihesslinger7968]

@@sisuguillam5109 Are they? But surely not pre-teen or younger than 12? Just asking. Well, admittedly, when I was 12 and older I started reading Tolstoi and other heavy stuff, but only because my mother was a literature fanatic (who, on the other hand, tried to hide "Peyton Place" from me😃).

[@herlandercarvalho]

@@danihesslinger7968 Maybe not all the kids, but some will. And this has nothing to do with TikTok, although things like that can become a distraction. Some children will be curious and wanting to learn more about the world around them, than others. Different people, will have different interests. Same with children, they are people too! =)

[@danihesslinger7968]

@@herlandercarvalho Of course 😃

[@sisuguillam5109]

@@danihesslinger7968 Depends on the kid, doesn't it?

[@maxinewest4096]

Interesting news coverage, sad situation about book being removed.

[@Jilac1]

DeSantis’s Flori-duh: The Book Banning Capitol of the US

[@MsKylea]

The first Jodi P book that I read was "The Pact" this was in the early 2000s. Ive been hooked since. I dont understand the ban on books, but, I live hers.

[@TheMINDL3SSGamers]

Her books were so child friendly, news stations has to censor them during desantis’s expose the book ban.

[@grandmak.]

@@TheMINDL3SSGamers mindless, yes, that fits.

[@Mikathedog100]

​@@TheMINDL3SSGamers really? What a bizarre country you live in.

[@joerogain5025]

"2 legs bad, 4 legs good." George Orwell Animal Farm

[@joko09010]

“All animals are equal but some are more equal than others.” - Animal Farm

[@franklin9400]

Brave New World. Would be the better description of modern America but. Ok

[@carolynturk-hu7je]

Of course, the person or people that complain, do not even know what the book is about in the first place! This reminds me of "the moral majority" back in the day. Burning records! Come on people!

[@pennymccabe6989]

Her books are awesome! I recommend anyone read any one of them. They will make you laugh, cry and think.

[@einherjar8585]

So many people complaining about books they know nothing about, didnt read, but are willing to publicly abuse and condemn the authors... like herd animals, only dumb.

[@muck8669]

It sounds like parents want to shift the responsibility for what children want to read to the stores that sell them. That contradicts the US UNDERSTANDING of freedom.