“You’re Lying”: Stephen King Sparks Debate With Outrage Over Florida “Banning” 23 Of His Books

Stephen King shared a brutal response after discovering that a handful of his books were banned from school libraries in Florida, USA. Taking to his X page (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday (August 31), the King of Horror wrote: “Florida has banned 23 [of] my books. What the f**k?”

As of 2023, Florida has seen an increase in the removal and restriction of certain books in public schools, driven by legislative measures like the “Parental Rights in Education Act” and the “Stop WOKE Act.”

These laws, passed in 2022, restrict discussions on sexual orientation, gender identity, and race, leading to challenges against books that cover these topics. 

In 2022, Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that targeted books that included any sexually explicit material, following complaints from the conservative group Moms for Liberty.

The law was brought into effect in July 2023. According to PEN America, a nonprofit organization whose goal is to raise awareness for the protection of free expression, the novels by King that have been banned include Carrie, It, The Gunslinger, The Running Man, and The Long Walk.

Stephen King shared a brutal response 

Image credits: The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

A handful of conservative Americans have dragged the 76-year-old author on social media, as an X user commented: “Babe, elementary school kids don’t need to be reading The Shining. It’s not personal. It’s parenting.”

A person wrote: “Removing books from a SCHOOL library [because] they may not be appropriate for the age group is NOT a ban Mr. King.

“The parents can go to a public library in town or any bookstore in FL and purchase or check out any book they would like including yours. 

“You have a robust vocabulary and know the definition of the word ban. You should use it, sir.”

Image credits: Simon & Schuster Books

“You’re lying,” a netizen added. “Some of your books that contain explicit sexual material were removed from elementary schools. But let’s talk about why you’re mad about this… Do you think it’s appropriate for children to read about orgies?”

The comment referred to a controversial scene in King’s It. In the book, there is a scene involving a group of children, the “Losers’ Club,” that has been widely criticized for its explicit sexual content. 

The scene depicts the group engaging in a sexual act as a way to bond and escape a traumatic situation. 

Florida Department of Education Spokesperson Sydney Booker also disputed the book-banning claim, telling Newsweek on Monday (September 2): “There are no books banned in Florida. Sexually explicit material and instruction are not suitable for schools.”

He discovered that a handful of his books were banned from school libraries in Florida, USA

Image credits: StephenKing

Nevertheless, six major book publishers, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins Publishers, Macmillan Publishers, and Sourcebooks, have teamed up to sue Florida public officials.

Joined by the Authors Guild, bestselling authors Julia Alvarez, Laurie Halse Anderson, John Green, Jodi Picoult, and Angie Thomas, two students, and two parents, the plaintiffs are officially challenging sweeping book removal provisions of HB 1069, the education law that restricts books in school libraries. 

“As a result of HB 1069, hundreds of titles have been banned across the state since the bill went into effect in July 2023,” the complainants wrote in a press release published on Thursday (August 29). 

The group noted that the list of banned books includes classics such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, and The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain.

Image credits: PBS NewsHour

It also encompasses contemporary novels by bestselling authors, such as Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume, and Stephen King. Among nonfiction titles, accounts of the Holocaust, such as The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, have also been removed.

“HB 1069 requires school librarians to remove books that contain anything that can be construed as ‘sexual conduct,’ with no consideration of the educational value of the work as a whole,” the press release reads. 

It continues: “If a parent or a resident of the county objects to a book, the book must be removed within five days and remain unavailable until the objection is resolved. 

“There is no requirement to review a book within a reasonable time frame—or even to return it if it has been found not to violate the statute. 

King took to his X page (formerly known as Twitter) on Saturday (August 31)

Image credits: PBS NewsHour

“If a book is returned to the library, an objector may request a review by a state-appointed special magistrate at the expense of the school district.”

The technicalities of the so-called book ban have already caused some headaches for Florida officials. In February, Governor Ron DeSantis had to issue a press release “debunking the false narrative that the state of Florida bans books.” 

The governor reasserted that “Florida does not ban books, instead, the state has empowered parents to object to obscene material in the classroom.” 

Moreover, it was acknowledged: “Still, some have abused this process to object to items including books about Johnny Appleseed, The Giver, and even the Bible.” 

Image credits: PBS NewsHour

“Over the past year, parents have used their rights to object to pornographic and sexually explicit material they found in school libraries,” DeSantis said. “We also know that some people have abused this process in an effort to score cheap political points.” 

He added: “I am calling on the Legislature to make necessary adjustments so that we can prevent abuses in the objection process and ensure that districts aren’t overwhelmed by frivolous challenges.”

DeSantis directed the Department of Education to prevent school leaders from politicizing the review process and called for legislation to limit objections from those without children in Florida schools. 

Despite these efforts, Florida HB 1069’s complex and overbroad provisions have continued to create chaos and turmoil across the state, Dan Novack, the vice president and the associate general counsel at Penguin Random House, said in the new press release.

The King of Horror wrote: “Florida has banned 23 [of] my books. What the f**k?”

“Students need access to books that reflect a wide range of human experiences to learn and grow,” Novack argued. 

He further stated: “It’s imperative for the education of our young people that teachers and librarians be allowed to use their professional expertise to match our authors’ books to the right reader at the right time in their life.”

Mary Rasenberger, CEO of the Authors Guild, noted: “Book bans censor authors’ voices, negating and silencing their lived experience and stories.

“These bans have a chilling effect on what authors write about, and they damage authors’ reputations by creating the false notion that there is something unseemly about their books. 

Image credits: Stephen King

“Yet, these same books have edified young people for decades, expanding worlds and fostering self-esteem and empathy for others. We all lose out when authors’ truths are censored.”

King isn’t the only public figure who has been vocal about the controversial ban. In November 2023, Pink announced her plans to distribute 2,000 books that have been banned at her South Florida Trustfall Tour shows.

Fans attending the singer’s concerts in Miami and Sunrise saw the opportunity to accept copies of some of the 3,362 books appearing on PEN’s Index of Banned Books.

Some of the thousands of books banned include classics and certain literary masterpieces like The Prince of Egypt by Jane Yole, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Taking to her Instagram page, Pink said in a live stream on November 12: “I’m a voracious reader, and I’m a mom of two kids who are also voracious readers, and I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and cannot read, let alone someone else’s parents, let alone someone else that doesn’t even have children that are deciding what my children can read.”

Stephen’s viral post on X left many people divided

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