JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A Jacksonville group is challenging three books currently on shelves in Duval County Schools — and it’s catching the attention of at least one of the authors.
The books being challenged are Vanishing Acts and The Pact, both by best-selling author Jodi Picoult, along with 11/22/63 by Stephen King. Picoult took to Facebook to warn her followers that her books were potentially being banned, encouraging people to speak up.
Blake Harper, a member of the group challenging the books, addressed the issue at a Tuesday night meeting.
“We are submitting tonight the first three book challenges,” Harper said.
Harper declined an interview request from News4Jax but spoke at the meeting.
“These books violate state law, period end of story. It’s a binary situation, a black or white situation, I don’t care how you can call it,” Harper said.
He added the group is focused on process, not attention.
“These violate state statute, there’s no question about it. Now, I want to share with you that the process we’re going through is to keep our mind on business. We’re not interested in grandstanding. We’re not interested in publicizing any of this,” Harper said.
Bryan Amerling, who attended the meeting with Take Em Down Jax and has two children who graduated from the Duval County School System, pushed back on the challenges.
“It’s the First Amendment. It’s a battle over the First Amendment. It’s the right for people to be able to share and express themselves,” Amerling said.
He argued that those who push for book bans have historically been on the wrong side of the issue.
“I think just historically, the people who want to ban books are never the good guys. They’re never on the right side of history,” Amerling said.
Amerling also spoke to the broader dangers of restricting knowledge in schools.
“I think book banning is fundamentally flawed and I think that in doing so what we’re doing really is limiting knowledge and we’re limiting truth and we are abiding by fear and I think knowledge is something that will cast that out and truth will cast it out and there’s no reason for us to operate from a position of fear,” Amerling said.
Duval County Schools said it was not aware of any book challenges before the Tuesday night meeting. The district is working to determine where the books are currently offered and whether an official challenge has been formally submitted.
News4JAX contacted representatives for Picoult asking for an interview but she was unavailable. We followed up asking for a statement and are waiting to hear back.