28 July 2023 , 18:54
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A conservative parent from Florida says they want a children's book published in 1989 banned from the school library because, despite its message of friendship, an item in the background mentions a spin-the-bottle game.
Bruce Friedman, a conservative activist from New York that moved to Florida, says that the content in 'Arthur's Birthday,' by Marc Brown, 'damaged souls.'
What's the red flag? At some point in the story, the monkey-girl character, Francine, hands Arthur, a human-like aardvark, a birthday present - a bottle marked 'Francine's Spin the Bottle Game.'
“It is not appropriate to discuss ‘spin the bottle’ with elementary school children,” he wrote in all capital letters. “This book is found in all/almost all [district schools]!” When filling in the section about what he feels the result may be if a child reads this book, he wrote "DAMAGED SOULS" in all capital letters.
A Florida man who's been citing thousands of books as 'inappropriate' for school libraries has found a new enemy in a 30-year-old children's character (mirror.co.uk)In the section that asks 'for what age group would you recommend this material?' he wrote: "NONE." He's filing complaints in a school library that serves children that range from kindergarten to sixth grade - which is ages five to 12.
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The complaint says that even mentioning 'spin the bottle' is inappropriate around children - but this man has also admitted on camera that his own son isn't allowed to read most library books. Last year, Friedman made a list of 3,600 books he described as including "porn, critical race theory, social-emotional learning, [and] fluid gender."
The lone parent that added this book to a list of 45 MORE books that are now considered challenged titles that are “pending oversight committee review.” A new rule says that books that have been flagged must be removed from libraries immediately until the committee has had time to make a decision.
Friedman has been the person behind thousands of flagged books in Florida, with each complaint filed with one phrase - "protect children." Friedman admitted to not reading most of the book's he's listed as 'inappropriate' and stated that "libraries have more than a little poison in them."
The Florida Freedom to Read Project has pushed back against Friedman’s challenge to Arthur’s Birthday, saying, “The entire book is about being inclusive of all friends and not only inviting boys or girls (based on your gender) to your birthday party.”
Most of Florida's book complaints have come from one person, and that person is Friedman. He is president of No Left Turn in Education, the right-wing group that has been creating fear around critical race theory. The group seeks to “use all forms of media to expose the radical indoctrination in K-12 education, its perpetrators, the resources and methods employed and the resulting harm it inflicts," according to its website.