April 28, 2023
The Authors Guild is dismayed to learn that eight books by author Nora Roberts have been pulled from high school libraries in Martin County, Florida. The books were removed based on an objection from a Moms for Liberty activist claiming that, “these books are adult romance novels.” There is no allegation that the books are “pornographic” or otherwise objectionable; the removals are based only on one person’s belief that books of a particular genre should not be in school libraries.
Teachers, librarians, and other education professionals are trained to assess the educational value of literature and to understand what children can handle and process at what ages. Yet local school boards and governments keep allowing objectors to control what other people’s children read based solely on their own opinions.
As Nora Roberts said in response to these removals, “You don’t have the right to say nobody’s kid can read this book.” The Authors Guild strongly agrees.
