Next on Moms for Liberty library challenge list: The Kite Runner, Slaughterhouse-Five

Bailey Gallion, Florida Today
·4 min read
17

Support local journalism. Unlock unlimited digital access to floridatoday.com. Click here and subscribe today.

The Brevard chapter of Moms for Liberty has submitted a fourth list of library books deemed inappropriate for minors, this time calling out instances of “racially divisive” rhetoric, LGBTQ themes, references to abortion and criticism of Christianity in addition to the explicit sex scenes that dominated the first lists.

The latest list includes a book that sometimes appears in late high school reading lists — Slaughterhouse-Five, a satirical blend of anti-war literature and science fiction by Kurt Vonnegut. The book is the first classic novel Moms for Liberty in Brevard has disputed.

Slaughterhouse-Five contains graphic violence (including animal abuse), explicit sexual content and a passage Moms for Liberty termed "inflammatory religious commentary" that mocked the New Testament in a satirical manner.

Board votes to create process: Brevard School Board establishes library review process, extends speaking times for some

Board to vote on policies for removal of books: Brevard School Board to vote on library books, student restraints and public speaking

'It’s taken out of circulation': Some books removed from Brevard County schools after Moms for Liberty complaints

Online summer reading lists from West Shore Jr./Sr. High School and Viera High School list the novel as an option for rising high school seniors to read. A Brevard Public Schools spokesman could not immediately comment on what the book's challenge could mean for teachers who would like to use the book in the classroom.

Michelle Beavers, chair of the Brevard Moms for Liberty library committee, suggested pulling the books while they get reviewed.
Michelle Beavers, chair of the Brevard Moms for Liberty library committee, suggested pulling the books while they get reviewed.

Moms for Liberty has now disputed 41 books that members say violate state pornography statutes. It sent seven book reviews to the district in March, and included 17 in a list sent to Brevard Public Schools on Monday. The challenges prompted BPS to form a process to review books at a district-wide level.

Another book, Not All Boys Are Blue, was flagged for what Moms for Liberty described as "racially charged commentary" and "alternate gender ideologies" as well as sexually explicit passages, alcohol and drug use and profanity.

The organization also challenged The Kite Runner, a novel about two boys growing up in Afghanistan that includes an account of homosexual rape.

Brevard Public Schools
Brevard Public Schools

The Indian River chapter of Moms for Liberty also pushed for the book to be removed from school library shelves, along with 150 other titles, including Beloved by Toni Morrison and The Color Purple by Alice Walker. That school district opted to keep The Kite Runner, as well as all but five challenged books, available to students. T

The Brevard Chapter of Moms for Liberty also included all books from Sarah J. Maas' popular adult fantasy series, A Court of Thorns and Roses.

Moms for Liberty List Three

  • A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Maas

  • Breathless by Jennifer Niven

  • Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

  • The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

  • YOU: A Novel by Caroline Kepnes

Moms for Liberty List Four

  • A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

  • A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

  • A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

  • Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez

  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

  • Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur

  • Jesus Land by Julia Scheeres

  • People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins

  • Beautiful by Amy Reed

  • Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas

  • Living Dead Girl by Elizabeth Scott

  • House of Earth and Blood by Sarah J. Maas

  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

  • All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

  • Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

  • Normal People by Sally Rooney

  • House of Sky and Breath by Sarah J. Maas

Lists One and Two

  • Damsel by Elana K. Arnold

  • Forever by Judy Blume

  • Lucky by Alice Sebold

  • Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson

  • Not My Problem by Ciara Smyth

  • Red Hood by Elana K. Arnold

  • Sold by Patricia McCormick

  • This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

  • This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki

  • What Girls are Made of by Elana K. Arnold

  • A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

  • Crank by Ellen Hopkins

  • Infandous by Elena K. Arnold

  • Push by Sapphire

  • The Haters by Jesse Andrews

  • The Nowhere Girls by Amy Reed

  • Tilt by Ellen Hopkins

  • Triangles by Ellen Hopkins

  • Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

The School Board voted Tuesday night on a policy that will allow the district to review challenged books on a district-wide level instead of forming committees at each school. So far, some school libraries have opted to remove some of the challenged books during an informal review, but many remain on shelves.

As of Wednesday morning, Moms for Liberty had not made a request for a formal district-wide review under the policy adopted Tuesday. District officials have warned it may take a year or more to complete such a process.

If committees formed by the district — which will each include BPS teachers, media specialists and one parent selected by each school board member — opt to remove any of the challenged books after thoroughly reading and reviewing them, school libraries will not be able to distribute them for eight years.

Bailey Gallion is the education reporter for FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallion at 321-242-3786 or bgallion@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard Moms for Liberty challenges Kite Runner, Slaughterhouse Five