![]() As libraries have become the latest targets of an anti-“woke” backlash stoked by Republican politicians, that system, however flawed, has gone the way of the papyrus scroll. Some titles were banned or restricted many were marked “open access” and returned to the shelves. Parents objected to particular books, and a committee reviewed their objections. Still, as a document of the culture war, Duval County’s list reflects a fragile sort of détente. (“ 101 Ways to Bug Your Parents” is “rude, disrespectful” a mischievous romp called “ Four Good Friends” has a “negative, nonproductive tone.”) “ Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret,” by Judy Blume, got challenged once, in the eighties, for irreligiosity and again, in the two-thousands, for “introduction to pornography.” Other nominations are more idiosyncratic: in 1983, “Little Red Riding Hood” was side-eyed for “violence, wine” a goofy poetry collection, “ The Robots Are Coming,” drew criticism, in 20, for “voodoo, the Devil, etc.” A prerogative of parenting is to not have to explain yourself-“ Even Cowgirls Get the Blues” was tersely declared “not suitable”-and there is, permeating the list, not so much a driving vision as a surpassing irritability. Roald Dahl (“vulgar, unethical”) was a frequent offender. Some preoccupations remain with us: race and history, profanity, sex. The challenges range from endearing and silly to sinister. It’s a revealing artifact: a map of cultural anxieties and a portrait of books as enduring flash points. You can find, on the Web site for Duval County public schools, in Florida, a list of books nominated for removal from the district’s libraries between 19.
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