The Pinellas County school district in Florida has recently flagged 87 books for further review before they can be made available for student use. Many of these titles have received the Sunshine State Young Readers Award or the Florida Teens Read Award, both given by the Florida Association for Media in Education; and yet the books are still being evaluated for “age and grade appropriateness” by the district’s Library Media Review Team. The list predominately includes stories by diverse authors. 

The following letter will be sent to the superintendent and school board in Pinellas County, Florida, and is signed by We Need Diverse Books, PEN America, and Florida Freedom to Read Project, along with many of the affected authors.

The recipients of the letter include Superintendent Kevin Hendrick, Chairperson Lisa N. Cane, Vice Chairperson Laura Hine, Board Member Carol J. Cook, Board Member Caprice Edmond, Board Member Eileen M. Long, Board Member Stephanie Meyer, and Board Member Dawn M. Peters. 

______________________________________

June 30, 2023

Dear Superintendent Hendrick & School Board Members, 

We Need Diverse Books (WNDB), PEN America, and Florida Freedom to Read Project (FFTRP) are writing to you on behalf of the undersigned authors and illustrators affected by the Pinellas County school district’s decision to hold 87 titles for further review. The list predominately includes stories by Black, Latine, Native, Asian, Muslim, and LGBTQIA+ authors. Some examples of the affected books include:

1. Christine Day’s upcoming We Still Belong, about a girl celebrating Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
2. Jason Reynolds’ and Brendan Kiely’s All-American Boys, focusing on a violent racial incident and its fallout. This book received WNDB’s Walter Dean Myers Award in 2016. 
3. Rick Riordan’s Daughter of the Deep, featuring a non-binary character. 
4. Sabaa Tahir’s All My Rage, featuring Muslim characters. This book received WNDB’s Walter Dean Myers Honor in 2023. 

Further, we find it troubling that several titles written by WNDB current and past Board members are included on this list, including The Getaway by Lamar Giles, Blackout co-authored by Dhonielle Clayton, and Valentina Salazar is NOT a Monster Hunter by Zoraida Córdova, along with many books by creators affiliated with WNDB’s programs. Several of PEN America’s author members are also named on this list of books. Given WNDB’s mission to produce and promote diverse literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people as well as PEN America’s mission to defend free expression and celebrate literary excellence, this list of books targeted for review is particularly jarring.

As stated in Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop’s seminal essay, “Mirrors Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” published in 1990: “When children cannot find themselves reflected in the books they read, or when the images they see are distorted, negative, or laughable, they learn a powerful lesson about how they are devalued in the society of which they are a part.” Targeting these titles sets a terrible precedent and message that diverse books need to be further scrutinized and censored, just because they are by and about marginalized creators.

We understand the tremendous pressure and intense scrutiny that has been placed on school districts across the country. But it is the responsibility of the district to protect the rights of all students, not just a few. Erring on the side of caution should never mean censoring the voices of marginalized creators and promoting a discriminatory effect on what books are made available to the community. 

We Need Diverse Books, PEN America, Florida Freedom to Read Project, and the undersigned authors and illustrators are deeply concerned how books by marginalized authors are overwhelmingly affected by these purported “reviews.” We ask that you cancel the upcoming Library Media Review and instead examine your guidance and procedures that encouraged your team to second guess this diverse and celebrated list of books. Educator resources are scarce and student literacy needs are at an all time high. This review is the wrong decision at the wrong time for PCS. If given the proper support and guidance from the district, we have no doubt that the professionals you have put in charge of your media centers would curate amazing collections for the students they serve. Trust and uplift your professionals. We do.

 

            WNDB                                           PEN America                                              FFTRP

           Ellen Oh                                         Kasey Meehan                                         Raegan Miller

CEO & Founding Member       Program Director, Freedom to Read         Director & PCS Parent

                                             

Co-Signatories:

K.R. Alexander

Katherine Applegate

Julie Buxbaum

Dhonielle Clayton

Matthew Cordell

Zoraida Córdova

Carolyn Crimi

Jennifer De Leon

J.L. Esplin

Norm Feuti

Sharon G. Flake

Camryn Garrett

Sophia Gholz

Lamar Giles

Karina Yan Glaser

Kathleen Glasgow

Chloe Gong

Chris Haughton

Carl Hiaasen

Tiffany D. Jackson

Brigid Kemmerer

Brendan Kiely

Karen Kilpatrick

Gordon Korman

Thanhhà Lại

Jody Lee Mott

Liz Lawson

Jarrett Lerner

Dayna Lorentz

Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group

Constantia Manoli

Gillian McDunn

Kelly McWilliams

Kiyash Monsef

Brittney Morris

Pam Muñoz Ryan

Gabby Noone

Dr. Jewell Parker Rhodes

Victoria Piontek

Smriti Prasdam-Halls

Jason Reynolds

Quressa Robinson

S.A. Rodriguez

Ruta Sepetys

Monica Silvie

Doug Stanton

A.F. Steadman

Nic Stone

Jamie Sumner

Jennifer Swender

Cory Tabor

Sabaa Tahir

Chris Van Dusen

Jacqueline West

Kelly Yang

Nicola Yoon