As a student at the University of Tampa and a Florida resident, I am drawn to the laws and restrictions around books. As an avid reader from a young age, it was always a sensitive topic to discuss, what can and can’t be read in a public classroom. I’m lucky to be able to take a Banned Books course at the University and it has only furthered my frustration. In Florida, Parents are given the right to decide what is appropriate for their children through the Parental Rights in Education Bill. This allows for parents to request books to be reviewed for ban. However, they are not required to have ever read the books.Â
AP courses that are available at most public schools in Florida offer AP English Literature and Language and in these courses, which I took, you read a couple of books that have been banned. While the discussions are never fully centered around why they’ve been restricted, it was always in the back of my mind as we pondered the deeper meanings of each book. While I was lucky to receive an education that included these books, future students in Florida might not be.Â
While this is a sensitive subject, it’s important to have open and honest conversations surrounding the topic, as this is the future generations’ lives we’re impacting with book bans.