Judy Blume's book, "Forever," was placed in question during a Broward County Public Schools board meeting on Tuesday for its sexual content. Board member Brenda Fam objected not only to "Forever" but also to the detailed descriptions of sexual acts, one in particular a graphic scene from "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk.

Fam emphasized the need to ensure age-appropriate and non-obscene materials in schools, stating, 'You cannot have age-inappropriate books on the school premises. You cannot have obscene books on the school premises. You cannot have pornographic books on school premises.'

School District's Response and Decision

The school district clarified that "Choke" was never available at Cypress Bay High School, contradicting Fam's claim. The district explained that although "Choke" was listed in the system, it was not physically or digitally accessible, and the record has been removed.

Regarding "Forever," the district informed NBC6 that it went through the book challenge process, and the Superintendent's Review Committee recommended limiting access to high school students only. However, the district did not provide specific comments on the content of the challenged books.

There is an increase in challenges to books within the Broward school district, with 12 challenges reported in the 2022-2023 school year compared with just one in the previous year. These challenges led to three books being banned to all students and nine others being restricted to specific grade levels.   

Censorship Challenges and Insights

Blume's most widely banned book is "Forever." The book tells the sexual awakening of 18-year-old Katherine with her first love, Michael. The couple explores their relationship and navigates through the challenges before college. The book was removed in some schools and libraries because of its portrayal of teenage sexuality and explicit content. 

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Blume has consistently opposed censorship and has personally experienced challenges and removals of her work from shelves due to her works delving into sexuality and puberty. In response to the growing censorship of books, Blume believed lawmakers were driven by fear and a desire to control children's knowledge, thoughts, and questions.

Blume will receive the first Eleanor Roosevelt Lifetime Achievement Award for Bravery in Literature on February 17.

Book Bans in Florida

The issue extends beyond Broward, as roughly 300 books were removed from Florida's public school libraries in the preceding year. Book bans were executed in response to more than 1,200 objections raised by parents of public school students or other Florida residents. The banned books were shown in a 16-page document by the Department of Education from Florida.

In Broward County, three books were banned, including "It's Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex and Sexual Health" by Robie Harris and Michael Emberley, "Let's Talk About It" by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan, and "A Day in Life Marlon Bundo" by Jill Twiss. The Broward County Public Schools District Review Committee banned "A Day in Life Marlon Bundo" because it portrayed the US government negatively. 

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