My daughter is an avid reader and always has been. Since first grade, she has easily exceeded any reading goals her teachers have set. She quickly surpassed her reading level and started reading more advanced books at a young age.
In the third grade, we bought her the Harry Potter series. A family member was upset because she felt that the witches and wizards in the series were un-Christian-like. We explained to her what the book was about, the wonderful lessons it taught, and that the characters even celebrated Christmas. This alleviated her concerns, and she didn’t question us anymore. She never read the books herself, but because her church told her the books were bad, she believed it to be true.
Lately, the group Moms for Liberty has been trying similar tactics, cherry-picking certain passages of books without considering them in full, and labeling the books pornographic to persuade school districts to remove or restrict them. Among the books they have targeted are “Push,” “Nineteen Minutes” and “Sold.” These books talk about harrowing situations, but they are not pornographic. They cover characters who have been sexually abused, trafficked, or experienced some other horrible trauma in their lives and are now dealing with that trauma in ways most probably would not understand.
Because I previously worked with foster children, I was trained to recognize the signs of abuse and trafficking — horrifying crimes that continue to impact countless kids. I allow my daughter to read these and other books that Moms for Liberty has mislabeled as “pornographic” because I want to open the space for conversation about uncomfortable topics. I want her to be aware of what other kids have faced, to know how to set boundaries with others, and to understand when to seek help if a boyfriend or anyone else crosses the line.
Books are amazing tools to open a discussion on important topics that some people are otherwise uncomfortable discussing. They should be available to all children in school libraries without being censored based on the distorted view of Moms for Liberty that they are “intended to sexually excite.” I want an open dialogue with my child about real issues that may affect her, and I imagine other parents feel the same. We should not deprive all students of these books in schools — which are an important tool to broach difficult subjects—because of the misguided objections of a handful of parents.
Denise Ward is a parent living in Seminole County.