One man is responsible for getting 100s of books (including mine!) banned in Clay County, FL. One sad dude! Sitting there filling out form after form with false claims about books he hasn't even read! The loudest voices have an outsize impact. We need to be loud--and persistent--too. 5calls.org - ThreadSky

pronounced-ing.bsky.social • 29 days ago

One man is responsible for getting 100s of books (including mine!) banned in Clay County, FL. One sad dude! Sitting there filling out form after form with false claims about books he hasn't even read!

The loudest voices have an outsize impact. We need to be loud--and persistent--too.

https://5calls.org/

Comments

trevorpk.bsky.social•29 days ago

There must be a way of checking whether someone's actually read a story before they want to ban it. Maybe give them some test questions on it?
RE HAMLET: "What did Polonius hide behind, and what happened to him?"

ladycowparsley.bsky.social•29 days ago

I don't know if it contains all of them, but banned books can be read online here:
https://Ebooks.dp.la

frictionfarm.bsky.social•29 days ago

Before he bans Our Missing Hearts let's be loud about getting folks to read that. So relevant right now. I suggested it as the book discussion for a group meeting in Florida right now. The book sparked so many amazing conversations today.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Thank you so, so much-- for the kind words but especially for encouraging others to talk about these issues. I am so grateful and am thrilled if the book helped start those convos!

srm25.bsky.social•29 days ago

Let's respond by REQUESTING 100s of books.

barbara-waxer.bsky.social•29 days ago

Isn't he the schmuck who is Jewish and banned the graphic novel of Anne Frank's Diary and Sofie's Choice?

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Also A++ deployment of the word "schmuck," my hat is genuinely off to you

barbara-waxer.bsky.social•29 days ago

It's in my cultural lexicon

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Yup!

trinak.bsky.social•29 days ago

Meanwhile, I am taking my copy of Little Fires Everywhere and manning the DEI Book Club table at an open house at work while I wear a “try reading books instead of banning them” t-shirt. We will prevail! ❤️

datafran.bsky.social•29 days ago

Imagine being such a unbelievably catastrophic loser (that man).

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

I pictured a sad little man hunched over a table with a bunch of photocopies and a marker, and the video did not counter this impression

datafran.bsky.social•29 days ago

My empathy for sad little men ends where fascism begins.

hapyhapyshoiy.bsky.social•29 days ago

They need a law to protect parents from other parents doing stupid things like this. It is MY choice as to what my child reads, not HIS.

pmck.bsky.social•29 days ago

My students don't even get the joke at first when I tell them most phones now have a voice calling app that's cool. But yesterday at their LGBTQ club meeting, they wrote 3-5 postcards each. They added the state AG to the list.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Sources: here's a profile on Bruce Friedman, the man responsible for over 1/3 of all Florida book challenges.
https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/clay-county-parent-responsible-more-than-one-third-all-florida-book-challenges/PV3RRN5IJ5EWHBJ3CXNRWFXI6E/

melomys.bsky.social•29 days ago

Creepy, creepy guy. He’s probably watching porn every night.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Which is his right! He can watch whatever he wants (as long as it involves consenting adults!) AND, therefore, he should allow others to have the same freedoms!

melomys.bsky.social•29 days ago

Of course. I’m just pointing out his hypocrisy.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

I got you! ☺️ Totally agree!

skimlines.bsky.social•20 days ago

cmon little luigi

jetteuk.bsky.social•29 days ago

there's something wrong about that guy

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

If you prefer this info filtered through the kidneys of satire, here's a Daily Show segment on this same guy: https://youtu.be/Bwlhhb5jgqs?si=Sn23w3-j5KDfVFCK

alphabetzel.bsky.social•29 days ago

What a metaphor

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Thank god for satire, which plays an underappreciated role in puncturing fascism.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

(Just to reiterate with a personal tidbit, this dude successfully had my first two novels, EVERYTHING I NEVER TOLD TOU and LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE, banned in this county, on grounds that they are "pornographic.")

drrelling.bsky.social•27 days ago

Ah yes of course, because books are famously how most teenagers get access to pornographic material. Good job everyone involved.

This guy is the living embodiment of the phrase "oxygen squanderer".

meganbearce.bsky.social•29 days ago

Infuriating

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

Source: here are the forms challenging my books, filled out by this dude. (Thank you @flfreedomread.bsky.social for tracking and publishing all of this data.)

theworstmartha.bsky.social•29 days ago

Yeah, dude has clearly never cracked one of your books (or likely ANY books). It's insane that these people can just make a hobby out of reporting without having to provide specific passages or content. I'm so sorry.

claricesnarling.bsky.social•29 days ago

He didn't even check off a reason? He just demanded that they be removed and they...were? What country are we living in?!

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

He checked off a few reasons "sexual content" and "horror" (???) and they are removed pending a decision, then were removed. No public oversight. This is how it's working in FL. See @flfreedomread.bsky.social's site for more info.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

If you watch the Daily Show interview with him, this guy says "if my challenge fails, I just immediately appeal it. That's what I do."

We gotta be more persistent and determined than fucking Bruce, folks. We gotta care more than he does about all of this, and we've gotta SHOW it.

fuzztm.bsky.social•29 days ago

Is this something you can appeal yourself, as the author of the books? Also interesting that specific passages supporting the complaintant's assertions aren't included on the forms recommending removal of the book.

random-seed.bsky.social•29 days ago

This really feels like a process rigged to succeed by default. It should require a number of signatures at least to file a challenge, to represent a number of community voices instead of one person.

traceybaptiste.bsky.social•20 days ago

What i don't understand is why they don't charge him for the coat of the reviews. I bet if it was coming out of his own pocket he wouldn't be wasting the time and money.

jodilicious.bsky.social•29 days ago

Um, "horror"? Do they not even have to provide passages to back any of this up? Wondering if this man has EVER read a book.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

He also cited "violence" in Little Fires Everywhere. I am genuinely confused--one kid does throw a can of soda at her brother at one point? I think that's it...

samwardsmithwriter.bsky.social•29 days ago

This is horrifying!

mick2mark.bsky.social•29 days ago

And if you didn't get legal notice and opportunity to object to that one objector then that breeches your free speech rights.

leahmcclellan.bsky.social•29 days ago

He called Little Fires Everywhere pornographic? I have to read it again! I read it twice already, and I cannot imagine how it could be called pornographic.

pronounced-ing.bsky.social•29 days ago

I am so very sorry for any teen who goes to my books looking for 🔥 hot steamy sex scenes 🔥, they will be SO disappointed

afertig.bsky.social•29 days ago

The kidneys of satire is a great phrase

cairanne.bsky.social•29 days ago

Anyone called Luigi around there?

torygatesauthor.bsky.social•29 days ago

They used to call people like him, "knockers." For they complained, filed lawsuits, threatened, abused and attacked others because it made them feel big and important. They never once offered an intelligent solution or idea, for anything. He is the village idiot, and speaks for the herd.

drive-in-radio.bsky.social•27 days ago

“At four o'clock, an evil man made his bed and lay in it, a pot called a kettle black, a stone-thrower broke the windows of his glass house. You look for this one under 'F' for fanatic and 'J' for justice - in The Twilight Zone.”

I’m sorry that happened to you!

mleiden4760.bsky.social•29 days ago

What a loser this guy must be. We can thank the FL GOP and the folks at Mom's for Liberty (who themselves should be banned) for making this possible.

cathypaddock.bsky.social•29 days ago

📌

thebookprof.bsky.social•29 days ago

Little fella needs to get a job! (or at least a different hobby)

thebookprof.bsky.social•29 days ago

Perhaps he could take up READING!!

helenpprice.bsky.social•29 days ago

What a truly sad life..!

selenekallanwriter.bsky.social•29 days ago

The sheer insanity of banning books based on some illiterate ninny's prejudice is so bloody dystopic.

wanderingvoron.bsky.social•29 days ago

We need to target the donors, the money. The politicians are immune to communications that don't come with a check.
Our dollars are our votes and companies will pay attention and not pay politicians to do bad things if it boomerangs to reduced sales.

noahdahl.bsky.social•29 days ago

As do our representatives.

willifs.bsky.social•20 days ago

This man moved to Clay County from out of state to do this, out of admiration for the governor I believe. At one point the most prolific challenger in Flagler County was an English teacher. As a mom, grandmother, & English teacher I do NOT understand these people or their pleasure in this.

nataliasparkles.bsky.social•29 days ago

What a loser! He should read your books, they taught me about like the fragility of home life. And you signed my books at the festival of books on Tucson, thank you!

scottbranchfie.bsky.social•29 days ago

It IS sad.

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