Florida Bans “Guess What?” Children’s Book under DeSantis’ Law

In a concerning turn of events, bestselling Australian author Mem Fox has fallen victim to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and his ultra-conservative agenda. Fox’s beloved children’s book, Guess What?, published in 1988, has been banned in Duval County, Jacksonville, under Florida’s parental rights in education bill, commonly known as the “don’t say gay” law. This law has garnered attention as DeSantis positions himself as a potential rival to former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race.

Guess What? illustrated by Vivienne Goodman, tells the story of a witch named Daisy O’Grady. The ban stemmed from a section of Florida law that prohibits the distribution of any material depicting nudity, sexual conduct, or abuse that may be harmful to minors on school property. The book includes an innocent depiction of O’Grady taking a bath.

The Guardian reached out to Fox for comment, but her agent responded dismissively, stating, “We have nothing to say on this issue. Duval County is a county of 997,000 people in Florida. It is not important.”

According to PEN America, an organization advocating for freedom of expression in literature, hundreds of books have been removed from school libraries since the bill’s introduction. Florida school officials have been advised to err on the side of caution, resulting in the removal of 565 books since 2021. Even acclaimed authors such as Margaret Atwood, Arundhati Roy, and Toni Morrison have faced permanent removal of their works.

Guess What? has previously faced challenges in the United States and appeared on the American Library Association’s list of the 100 most frequently banned books due to allegations of positive representation of the occult, the supernatural, and references to punk rock. However, the recent classification of the book as pornographic marks a distressing escalation.

Re-reported from the story originally published in https://www.theguardian.com/