At least 94 books that have been challenged and/or removed from other school libraries are in Duval County schools.
Eye on Jacksonville determined this by getting a listing of all books in local government school libraries and using artificial intelligence to look for matches in lists of challenged books.
We had to pay for the information. More about that later.
Several of the titles appear frequently on lists of books that have been restricted or removed from school libraries throughout the United States.
Far Left organizations such as PEN America and the American Library Association (ALA), persistently refer to cleaning up school libraries as “banning books.” No books are banned.
This table shows books available to local students that were among the “most challenged” books in the 2023-2025 period. Many of these have been removed in specific districts in Florida, Texas, and other states.
| Title | Status/Context in US Schools |
| Gender Queer | Consistently the #1 most banned book in the US (2022-2024). Removed in numerous districts for “sexually explicit” content. |
| The Bluest Eye | Frequently removed or restricted to 18+ (e.g., recently in Redlands, CA and Pinellas County, FL) for depictions of trauma and abuse. |
| The Handmaid’s Tale | Removed in various districts (including parts of Florida and Iowa) under new state laws regarding “sexual content.” |
| Crank / Identical / Tricks | These titles by Ellen Hopkins are frequently banned or restricted due to depictions of drug use and “mature themes.” Tricks was recently restricted to HS-only in Orange County, FL. |
| The Hate U Give | Often challenged or removed for profanity or “anti-police” sentiments; it is a staple on the ALA’s Top 10 Most Challenged Books list. |
| Thirteen Reasons Why | Frequently removed from middle schools and some high schools due to its depiction of suicide. |
| Push | Recently removed from high school libraries in districts like Redlands, CA (2025) for being labeled “pornographic” by challengers. |
| Out of Darkness | Frequently banned in Texas and Florida for “mature content.” |
| The Perks of Being a Wallflower | Often removed for “sexual content” and “LGBTQ+ themes.” |
| Looking for Alaska | Regularly appearing on ban lists for “sexually explicit” descriptions. |
The following titles also have been challenged, although it is unlikely any Jacksonville residents would object to them.
- 1984 & Animal Farm: Occasionally challenged for political/religious themes (e.g., Colorado, 2024).
- Fahrenheit 451: Frequently challenged for “profanity” or religious objections.
- Brave New World: Often targeted for sexual content and “anti-family” themes.
- To Kill a Mockingbird: Sometimes removed from required reading lists, though less often removed from library shelves entirely. Interestingly, your first file (Bruce’s spreadsheet) actually contains a column titled “Status” that mirrors these national trends. For example, in your own file:
- The O’Reilly Factor for Kids is marked as “Remove from All Libraries.”
- A Study in Charlotte and All the Pretty Horses are marked as “Remain in Collection Keep: HS Only Parental Advisory Status.”
For its comparison, Eye used the school catalog we purchased and compared it with a list kept by Bruce Friedman, head of No Left Turn in Education. He is the No. 1 book challenger in Florida, and perhaps the nation. Friedman lives in Clay County and has successfully challenged more than 1,000 books that contain pornography or propaganda or are otherwise unsuitable for children in school.
Friedman currently is partnering with local activist Blake Harper, who is planning a series of book challenge training sessions in Jacksonville.
Harper said the free training will be provided to residents who understand the need to restore the school libraries and will be held in local churches.
The first session will be Monday at 6:30 p.m. Anyone interested in attending one of the sessions can contact Harper at [email protected] or 904-240-9855.
“A lot of work is needed to restore bedrock values to our community that help children to grow up to have healthy, fulfilling, and constructive lives.” Harper said. Removing inappropriate books from school libraries is one way, he said.
Using existing lists to identify books in Jacksonville school libraries can save parents a lot of time and effort. The school system’s computer system is so poor that parents can only search by school, rather than all libraries.
That is why Eye made a public records request. But we were shocked to be billed almost $30 for the information. Administrators claimed it took too long to produce the list.
I spent 45 years as a reporter and editor and accessed public records thousands of times, without once being charged a fee.
Several years ago, Eye sought information about teachers charged with sex crimes and we were charged more than $100 for the information. That was the first time I ever paid a public agency for public information, and it caused acid reflux.
However, today it is a source of considerable revenue for local government. City Hall, the sheriff’s office, school board and other parts of the government collect thousands of dollars each year from people who want information about their government that they are entitled to under Florida’s government-in-the-sunshine laws.
I also know a bit about computers, and any well-organized computer system should be able to produce a database such as the school catalog with a few clicks, not back-breaking labor. Gemini, the AI bot used to match the titles, reported there are 21,804 unique titles in the school library collection.
