Americans Don’t Want Books Banned, But They’re Divided Over What Schools Teach

Recently, an image that listed books banned in Florida libraries and schools began making the rounds on Twitter. The 25 titles, spanning classics from “To Kill a Mockingbird” to “A Wrinkle in Time,” caught the eyes of many, including Randi Weingarten, who is president of the American Federation of Teachers, a major teacher’s labor union in the U.S.

Only one problem: The list was fake. There is no banned-book list at the state level in Florida.

This isn’t to say that books haven’t been banned in Florida public schools. Earlier this year, the nonprofit organization PEN America reported that between July 2021 and March 2022, they’d found over 200 instances of book banning across seven Florida school districts. It’s just that these bans usually don’t include books like “To Kill a Mockingbird.” Rather, many of the books that banned in some districts in Florida — and elsewhere — are books that tackle race, gender identity and sexual orientation.