Judy Blume tore apart the attempt to ban the book and explained what “the book is all about” in an interview published by Variety on Friday.
Blume is considering book bans as efforts to challenge literary materials in schools and public libraries reach a record high in 2022, according to a report from the American Library Association.
The iconic author, known as an activist against book ban attempts, has seen several of her books challenged over the years including “Forever…” and “Do You Exist God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
Blume told Variety that the challenge “all broke loose” after the election of President Ronald Reagan but argued that efforts to ban books today are different.
“It was bad in the ’80s, but it didn’t come from the government. Now, there’s a law passed where librarians can go to jail if they’re convicted of having pornography on their shelves,” Blume said.
“Try and define pornography today and you will find it all.”
Photo by Ivan Apfel/Getty Images
Blume’s comments came after Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the efforts to remove the book from the state class only impact “pornographic and inappropriate” material, a statement that the literary group PEN America declared false in a post last month.
The author, a resident of Key West, Florida, has spoken out against GOP-backed efforts in the state, as well.
Blume, in an interview with Variety, called the politician-led effort to challenge the book a “real danger.”
“You protect your children from what? Protecting their children means teaching and equipping them with knowledge, and reading and supporting what they want to read,” said Blume.
“No kid is going to be transgender or gay or lesbian because of reading a book. That’s not going to happen. They can say, ‘Oh, this is what I’m like. This is what I feel and think.’ Or, ‘I’m interested in this because I have friends who might be gay, bi, lesbian.’ He wanted to know.
Blume went on to praise one book — Maia Kobabe’s often-challenged memoir “Gender Queer” — for providing insight into a life other than her own.
“I thought, ‘This young man is telling me how he got to be where he is today.’ And I learned a lot, and became more empathetic,” he said.
“It’s about the book.”
You can read the rest of Blume’s interview with Variety here.