Ban This Book by Alan Gratz was banned in Indian River County due to criticism from parents associated with Moms for Liberty.
A school district in Florida has banned a book about book bans. The school board decided Ban This Book, a children’s book by Alan Gartz, will no longer be available in the Indiana River County School District.
Gratz’s book, published in 2017, follows Army Anne Olinger, a fourth grader, as she attempts to borrow her favorite books. The librarian informs Ollinger that she is not allowed because the book was banned after a classmate’s parent thought it was inappropriate.
The document description on Gratz’s website states that she then creates a secret banned book library, entering into an unexpected battle over censorship, banning, and who has the right to decide what she and her fellow students can read.
In a peculiar case of life imitating art, Jennifer Pippin, a parent in the coastal community, challenged the book. Because of Pippin’s opposition, the school board voted 3-2 to remove the book from the shelves. The work was reviewed by a district committee, which decided to keep it in the classroom, but the vote still took place.
The Tallahassee Democrat reported that Indian Country school board members objected to Gratz’s book’s references to previous works removed from the classroom and said it was “teaching rebellion of the school-board authority.”
In addition, Pippin serves as chair of the local chapter of Moms for Liberty, a far-right group responsible for many of the book bans that have recently swept the county. A 2023 PEN America report states that 81% of the school districts implementing book bans between July 2022 and June 2023 were located in Liberty local organizations.
In addition to Pippin, two school board members, Jacqueline Rosario and Gene Posca, voted in favor of banning the document, which had support from the Moms for Liberty during their campaigns.
Posca and Rosario did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In a statement to Tallahassee, Gratz noted the irony of his books’ ban.
He claimed that “they banned the books because it discusses book banning and because it talks about the books that have been prohibited.
They have seen exactly what they are doing, and they are somewhat ashamed and do not want a book that calls them out on their shelves.
Book bans have gained momentum in recent years and show no sign of slowing down.
A report released earlier this year by the American Liberty Association indicated that the number of titles scheduled for censoring at US public libraries had significantly increased. The number of books censored in 2023 accounted for almost 40% of all book challenges, a 92% rise from 2022.
The data also showed that 1,247 requests to censor library books, materials, and resources were made in 2023, and 4210 unique titles were targeted for censorship.
