Author Jodi Picoult Signs Letter Urging Ron DeSantis to End ‘Dark Night of Censorship’ in Florida Schools

The novelist has previously denounced book bans after 20 of her own titles were banned from a Florida high school

Jodi Picoult has signed an open letter urging Ron DeSantis to end censorship efforts like book bans in Florida schools, citing harm to children.

On Wednesday, July 31, the My Sister's Keeper author joined nearly 600 educators, students, parents and other community leaders to sign an anti-censorship letter addressed to the Florida governor’s office.

A follow-up to the PEN America Unified Voices Summit held in Orlando earlier this month, the letter asks DeSantis to “end the wave of educational censorship and book bans that are harming Florida’s children and the state’s public education system.”

Related: Shakespeare Now Being Censored in Some Florida Schools amid Confusion over New Ron DeSantis Law

"Under your leadership, Florida educators are fleeing the state at a time when educator shortages are at an all-time high,” the letter reads. “We have recently watched, with much heartache, the closure of public schools across the state as your administration’s policies continue to pull money from public education. It is distressing to see students, educators and Floridians of all walks of life targeted and denied core freedoms to speak and express themselves.”

The letter also states that because of DeSantis’s policies — under his leadership, Florida has banned more books than any other state, according to PEN America — educators’ voices have been “chilled into silence” and students are scared to be who they are.

“As Floridians, we demand the protection of core liberties promised to us in the Florida and United States Constitution,” the letter states.

Related: Ron DeSantis Eliminates Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Funding at Florida Public Universities

“Governor DeSantis, you have led us into this dark night of censorship. But you can also lead us out,” it continues. “We call on you today, and all of Florida’s leadership, to stop these tactics of suppression and instead provide the critical resources necessary to truly protect parents’ choice in education and ensure our communities flourish with successful, accessible, inclusive, high-quality public schools.”

"Discrimination and erasure must not be Florida’s future,” the letter reads.

The letter lays out several specific requests, including reversing “harmful bills,” revising state guidelines about book censorship in schools, hosting a town hall on censorship and ensuring that “every classroom and school library has a professionally maintained, engaging and representative library collection, especially in K-5.”

“And so we say today in one unified voice, Florida will be the example of citizenry reclaiming their democracy, protecting their constitutional liberties and supporting each other in the long struggle for equality,” the letter concludes. “We hope you will join us.”

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This is not the first time Picoult, whose new novel By Any Other Name comes out Aug. 20, has spoken out about book bans in Florida.

After 20 of her novels were pulled from public schools in the state — including The Storyteller, which is about the Holocaust — last year, she told ABC News they were banned after a parent who had not read the books requested the books be removed for their "adult romance" content.

The novelist called the move "really interesting because I don't write adult romance." In fact, she pointed out, "half of the books she pulled do not even have a single kiss in them. But they do have topics like gun rights and women's reproductive health rights and gay rights."

"The vast majority of folks in this country know that we should not be banning books, that we should not be restricting what kids are reading," Picoult said at the time. "Especially at a high school level. I think that unfortunately, the minority is much louder than the majority."

Related: Pink to Give Away 2,000 Banned Books About Race and Sexuality at Upcoming Florida Tour Stops

"And so we all really need to take a stand," she continued. "You can't listen to the politicians when they say, 'These aren't bans; it's a hoax.' I'm an author. Twenty of my books were pulled off the shelf in one particular school district. That is not a hoax. That is a ban."

Added Picoult: "And it's really important that right now we all speak out against this because we've seen historically what happens when we do not."

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