Moms Into Literary Freedom

In honor of Women’s History Month, we discuss Margaret Atwood’s 1985 banned dystopian novel that hits a little too close to home and why it is so important to read. 

Sources:

• France becomes first country to make abortion a constitutional right | CNN

• Florida delays ‘fetal personhood’ bill after fallout from Alabama IVF ruling

• Boston woman with history of antisemitic remarks loses Mass. GOP committee race - masslive.com

• Caitlin Clark record draws top in-season TV rating since '99 - ESPN

• Sex Begins in the Womb - Exploring the Biological Contributions to Human Health - NCBI Bookshelf

• Court Rejects Desantis' Stop Woke in the Workplace

• Kellogg's Strike!

"But he's so articulate!" Join us as we discuss cereal for dinner, the meaning behind calling someone an “oreo”, and how code-switching can be used as a survival technique.

In this episode, we cover the middle-grade graphic novel: New Kid by Jerry Craft. Craft has five African-American literary awards and is the co-founder of the Schomburg Center’s Annual Black Comic Book Festival. New Kid was the first graphic novel to be awarded a Newbery Medal in 2020 and also received the Coretta Scott King Award, and the 2019 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature. 

Sources and Show Notes:

• BUY: New Kid and Class Act: The Box Set a book by Jerry Craft

• Albert Einstein College of Medicine to offer free tuition after billion-dollar gift | CNN Business

• @rbreich - "shrinkflation"

• Let them eat Flakes: Kellogg’s CEO says poor families should consider ‘cereal for dinner’ | US news | The Guardian

• Assimilationist Analysis in Stamped from the Beginning | LitCharts

• ‘He’s So Articulate.’ What That Really Means

• The Racial Politics of Speaking Well - Lynette Clemetson - The New York Times

Sci-fi/Fantasy books featuring non-white protagonists:

Rick Riordan Presents Sal and Gabi Break the Universe (a Sal and Gabi Novel, Book 1) a book by Carlos Hernandez

Amari and the Night Brothers a book by B. B. Alston

Future Hero a book by Remi Blackwood

Shuri and t'Challa: Into the Heartlands (an Original Black Panther Graphic Novel)

Maya and the Rising Dark by Rena Barron

The Marvellers a book by Dhonielle Clayton and Khadijah Khatib

Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun (Reprint) a book by Tolá Okogwu

Dragons in a Bag a book by Zetta Elliott and Geneva B.

Seekers of the Wild Realm (Reprint) a book by Alexandra Ott

Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind a book by Misa Sugiura

Jennifer and Courtney discuss the real history of country music that Florida (and other states) don’t want you to know. 

Sources:

Country music roots traced to slave ships

Black Artists Helped Build Country Music—And Then It Left Them Behind.

The instrument with a fascinating past – The Banjo

“Billboard asserted that the song, by black rapper Lil’ Nas X, “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music.” 

Beyoncé Makes History as “Texas Hold ’Em” Tops Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart | Pitchfork

Conservative country music fans lash out at CMA performance by Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks - Los Angeles Times

Cafe Resistance Book Store in Jacksonville, FL

“Daddy's Lessons” rejected by Grammy Committee

Jacksonville students create their own Black History curriculum

AP African American Studies 

Ayman: Anger over Beyoncé's new songs is part of long history of racism in country music

This episode is dedicated to Nex Benedict, and authentic young soul whose light was unjustly extinguished on February 8, 2024, after being beaten by their classmates at Owasso High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Jennifer and Courtney reveal the negative impact of Chaya Raichik's "Libs of TikTok" and her connection to the Oklahoma State Superintendent who wants to erase LGBTQ+ rights. Join Courtney and Jennifer as they discuss how these extremists only encourage violence against LGBTQ+ youth and what we can do to make sure Nex's death is not in vain. 

Sources:

Libs of TikTok targeted a district, then a non-binary student was killed on campus

Chaya Raichik appears to have trespassed at the Capitol

Oklahoma non-binary high schooler dies after physical altercation

Rest in power nex benedict — Freedom Oklahoma

Teen beaten to death in a school bathroom bullying attack. The school didn’t call an ambulance. (msn.com)

Libs of TikTok posts lead to bomb threats against public schools - LGBTQ Nation

Oklahoma lawmaker asks Walters for proof of pornographic material in schools (koco.com)

Clip of Ryan Walters on M4L podcast https://fb.watch/qkC-MfaqwE/

Jan 23, 2024 Libs of TikTok's Chaya Raichik named to Oklahoma library committee (usatoday.com)

June 2023 video put out by OK state Dept of Education Protecting Students from Leftist Social Experiments by Upholding the Law (youtube.com)

2 spirit folks- The History of Two-Spirit Folks — The Indigenous Foundation

Books on gender identity:

• Fine: A comic about gender by Rhea ewing
• The Out Side: Trans and Nonbinary Comics by various writers
• How to They/Them: A Visual Guide to Nonbinary Pronouns and the World of Gender Fluidity by Stuart Getty and Brooke Thyng
• Both can be true by Jules Machias
• Beyond the Gender Binary by Alok Vaid-Menon
• A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns by Archie Bongiovanni and Tristan Jimerson

Vigils for Nex:

February 25, 2024 at 6:30 - Redbud Festival Park, Owasso, OK

February 24, 2024 at 6:30 - Point A Art Gallery, 2124 NW 39th, Oklahoma City 

February 26, 2024 at 5:30 - Stonewall, NYC

In this episode, Jennifer and Courtney discuss weird Valentine’s day gifts, foot fetishes, and cereal baths, but then get serious to discuss the realities of police brutality and the importance of having books like All American Boys available in schools. 

Buy  All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

• Banned Books 2022 – All American Boys – Marshall Libraries

• All American Boys | Book by Jason Reynolds, Brendan Kiely | Official Publisher Page | Simon & Schuster

• Sisters make $150k in less than 24 hours by selling cereal bath water to fans - US News

• Confederate Monuments - "White Power"

• The truth behind the 'He Gets Us' ads airing during the Super Bowl | CNN

• Miami school’s permission slip for African American author’s reading causes controversy – NBC 6 South Florida

Happy Black History month! In this junior episode, Jennifer and Courtney discuss chicken strips, goblin butts, and colorism. 

Sulwe was written by Lupita Nyong’o and illustrated by Vashti Harrison. This book was a recipient of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor Award and the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Children's Literary Work!

BUY:Sulwe a book by Lupita Nyong'o and Vashti Harrison

Banned Books 2022 – Sulwe – Marshall Libraries

The History of the Black Student Union | BestColleges.

Moms for Liberty Has a Nudity Problem – Mother Jones

Florida prohibits DEI in public colleges amid 'Stop WOKE' legal battles - ABC News

Levar Burton's New Show: BannedBook Rainbow

Join Jennifer and Courtney for the first installment of the “WTF” mini-series where they highlight recent happenings regarding our kids that make you say “WTF”. In this minisode, they focus on troublesome bills that could become oppressive laws.

Sources:

Equality Florida 2024 Legislative Slate

ACLU of Florida Opposes Committee Passage of House Bill Chilling the Speech of People Critical of Public Officials

Florida Republican wants to allow teens to work in roofing and construction | Orlando

Senate child labor bill gets rewrite to limit teen workers on construction sites

Pride Flag Ban

9 Ridiculous Kentucky Laws You Should Know - Louisville Lawyers, Cooper and Friedman

YOUTH ACTION FUND:

Youth Action Fund (@youthactionfund) • Instagram photos and videos

Youth Action Fund ✊ (@YouthActionFund) / X

https://linktr.ee/YouthActionFund

Youth Action Fund Wishlist

Find your reps and email them your opposition to bills that attack, isolate, and erase the LGBTQ+ community!

Find Your Representative | Florida House of Representatives (myfloridahouse.gov)

Find Your Legislators - The Florida Senate (flsenate.gov)

In this episode, Courtney and Jennifer cover a book that led to an 11 year old’s supposed porn addiction.

• Woman Who Claims Scholastic Book Caused Her Porn Addiction Works for Right-Wing Publisher
• BUY Raina Telgemeier - DRAMA
• BUY Raina Telgemeier Collection Box Set (Smile, Drama, Sisters, Ghosts, Guts)

Trigger warning: This episode contains brief references to SA. 

Just in time for the December 25th movie theater debut of the musical, “The Color Purple”, Jennifer and Courtney cover the original novel written by Alice Walker in 1982. One of the most banned books throughout the world, “The Color Purple” is a timeless classic loved by many but is “trash” to some, despite Walker being the first Black woman to be awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Buy the book: The Color Purple a book by Alice Walker

Trigger warning: This episode contains brief references to SA. 

In this “no-book” epsiode, Courtney and Jennifer cover hypocrisy in the state of Florida with updates on Moms for Liberty’s “menage a trois” scandal, Ronny boy’s authoritarian views of school libraries, and more!

 Jennifer and Courtney will be covering “The Color Purple” by Alice Walker later this month before it gets released on the big screen on December 25th. 

 Sources:

Florida GOP Chair Christian Ziegler, husband of Moms for Liberty cofounder, accused of sexual assault by alleged menage a trois lover - Florida Center for Government Accountability (FLCGA)

Moms for Liberty Deleted Tweet

Congressman Maxwell Frost's Fight Book Bans Act

Florida SAT scores drop again while politicians wage culture wars | Commentary

5-Star Stories:

Karen Smith, School Board member gets sworn in on a stack of banned books

Karen Smith suspends hateful school board policies

Pink will give away thousands of banned books at her Florida shows - Good Morning America

Illinois Governor extends Dolly's Library

In this episode, Courtney and Jennifer are thankful for the “truth”...but PragerU has a different definition of the word…

Instead of a book, they cover the concerning resources that this state-approved organization has been releasing for use in public schools. They also ask their kids for their thoughts on the matter and the responses did not disappoint!

Tune in as Jennifer and Courtney discuss turkey, patriotism, and whether or not pilgrims are “evil”.

Kansas school forced 8-year-old Native American boy to cut his hair, ACLU says - ABC News

PragerU: Otto's Tales — Today Is Thanksgiving

PragerU: The "Truth" about Thanksgiving

If You Lived During the Plimoth Thanksgiving - Newell, Chris

Butterfly in the sky…I’d like to see a &@#*$ try! Don’t mess with Levar Burton! In this episode, Jennifer and Courtney discuss how the rest of the world views Moms for Liberty…Including Oprah and Levar Burton! 

Join your hosts as they share the “steamy” scene from “Storm and Fury” by Jennifer Armentrout and reveal how one “mom” used a minor–without their parental consent–to try and get this book banned…and a media specialist fired!

In addition to covering the book “Storm and Fury” by Jennifer Armentrout, Courtney and Jennifer cover how one M4L chapter is in hot water for associating with a white nationalist group.

Lavar Burton wrecks M4L | TikTok

Moms for Liberty removes two Kentucky chapter leaders who posed with far-right Proud Boys

Moms for Liberty and Florida Teacher Schemed to Manipulate Student Book Controversy

Santa Rosa County mother accuses 'Moms for Liberty' of exploiting daughter to push agenda | WEAR

Bad Ass Dad describes M4L

BUY: Storm and Fury (Original) a book by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Moms for Liberty is at it again! In this preview episode, Jennifer and Courtney cover the mom's latest shenanigans in trying to get yet another media specialist fired for yet another book.

This time, the book is "Storm and Fury" by Jennifer Armentrout. This highly-reviewed young adult novel caused a school board candidate and Mmms for LIberty member, Jennifer Tapley, to try and file a police report in Santa Rosa county, Florida, this past October. 

Join your hosts as they ponder why such a highly-rated and popular YA novel with just ONE spicy scene out of 300+ pages is creating such a hullabaloo while other school library books with pages and pages of spiciness are seemingly overlooked...Could it be because some of these books features diverse characters while others do not?

Also, the holidays are approaching! Be sure to get your "Really Tough Ron-Boy Boots" t-shirt  for the Ron Desantis' fans in your life…and if you don’t know what that means, just listen to the episode. ;) 

• Updated List: Every Known Florida School District Book Ban, July 2021 Through June 2023

• Florida Moms for Liberty member offers up teen novel to Santa Rosa Sheriff as pornography - gulflive.com

• Highly reviewed on Goodreads, booklist, and SLJ

• Harper Collins Age Recommendation

• Moms for Liberty Falls Flat on Its Face in School Board Races | The New Republic

• When young people read disturbing books - Columbia University

• YouTube: Members of Moms for Liberty in Florida report Librarians to Police

• Pastor Paul Drees Speaks about Christian Hypocrisy

• New York Post: Florida mom calls police on librarian over popular young adult book she equates to 'pornography'

•  The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M Auel: Bad sex award extract

• SATIRE: MomsForLiberties.com

Just in time for Halloween and the Chief’s football season (thank you, Taylor), Jennifer and Courtney cover a charming graphic novel written by Rainbow Rowell and illustrated by Faith Erin Hicks about a budding romance in a pumpkin patch! Pumpkin Heads follows Josiah and Deja through their expansive pumpkin patch full of fun fall activities like caramel apple stands, hungry goats, and hay rides. Their adventures model positive lessons in body image, consent, and friendship…but one scene revealing Deja’s bisexuality may keep these important lessons from reaching young readers. Join Courtney and Jennifer as they discuss whether or not this book should be in elementary school libraries and why Scholastic should stop selling slime kits at their book fairs.  

BUY: Pumpkinheads a book by Rainbow Rowell, Faith Erin Hicks, and Sarah Stern

Instagram: @moms4libros, @equalityfl, @noliewithbtc, @madovermarketing_mom

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Resources for Classrooms | Common Sense Education

Just in time to close out Hispanic Heritage month, Jennifer and Courtney cover the widely banned book Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez. Regarded as anal pornography by an angry Texan “mom-for-liberty”, Out of Darkness is actually a Romeo and Juliet inspired love story between a Mexican-American girl and an African-American boy at the time of the 1937 Texas school explosion. Tune in to find out how this award-winning historical fiction became wrongfully labeled thanks to the hateful rhetoric spread by present day racists and misogynists.  

On a lighter note, Courtney and Jennifer also shed light on which Shakespearean words are code for “penis”, “orgasm”, “virginity” and more, as they discuss why the Dept. of Education would recommend “Romeo and Juliet” even though it has been restricted in some counties. 

BUY: Out of Darkness a book by Ashley Hope Pérez

Texas mother interrupts school board meeting to discuss anal sex

Of Mice and Men: The shocking passages | Books on Trial

Romeo and Juliet Sex | Shmoop

To be or not to be on the shelf? New Florida school book law could restrict even Shakespeare

Act 2, Scene 1: Popup Note Index Item: "O that she were an open-arse and thou a popp'rin pear" | myShakespeare!

Review: Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez | Alive and Narrating

Well folks, this JR episode had to be dubbed…Jennifer and Courtney did their best but had a few minor slip ups that had to be dubbed over with fun words like “hot dog” and “meatball”. 

Nonetheless, they successfully made it through another JR episode that is “safe” to listen to with little ears around. This book covers “My Shadow is Purple” by Scott Stuart and the teacher who lost her job for bravely reading it to her 5th graders as a part of a lesson on poetry and inclusivity.  

Georgia Teacher Fired for Reading Book About Gender to Fifth-Grade Class: 'Censorship Perpetuates Harm'

Florida county removes LGBTQ books from schools: 'These characters and themes cannot exist'

Florida is the nation's book banning leader, according to national free speech group

Buy My Shadow is Purple by Scott Stuart

Buy My Shadow is Pink by Scott Stuart

Buy How to be a Real Man by Scott Stuart

@JavaDoodles Funny Animations

Jennifer and Courtney are back with a new lewk! Don't worry, they are still dishing out their strongly-opinionated reviews on banned and challenged books with a side of snark. This episode features "Stamped (for Kids)" by Sonja Cherry-Paul, Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi which seemed approproate considering Florida's attempt to silence Black and Brown voices through the removal of AP African American Studies. 

Join your hosts for the latest and greatest, including:

• Which flavor of white claw a local Black Bear prefers
• Why appointing a Hitler-quoting MFL co-founder to the Commission on Ethics is an obvious contradiction, and
• How Black students at a local elementary school can be made to feel bad for the color of their skin, but providing staff members with DEI training is illegal, aka, "wOkE". 

Sources:

BUY: Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You a book by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, Sonja Cherry-Paul, et al.

Florida Commission on Ethics

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appoints Moms for Liberty co-founder to state Commission on Ethics | AP News

WATCH: Three-legged bear breaks into Florida patio, drinks 2 White Claws

Resistbot Petition: Vote No on Tina Descovich for Ethics Commissioner (Fla. only)

Prosser's Gabriel | Tim Barry

Arkansas drops AP African American Studies course : NPR

Florida bill banning ‘ethnic intimidation’ flyers aims to rein in neo-Nazis | The Times of Israel

Black Students at Bunnell Elementary Are Told Of 'Early Grave' If They 'Clown' Around and Don't Perform | FlaglerLive

What Florida's New "Stop WOKE Act” Means for Employers' DEI Training Programs

It’s movie season! Jennifer and Courtney are excited about this summer’s box office hits…Barbie, Oppenheimer, and…The Sound of Freedom? Join them as they discuss what has movie-goers all in a tizzy ranging from female empowerment to an inaccurate portrayal of human trafficking produced by antisemitic conspiracy theorists.

With antisemitic incidents on the rise and anti-student inclusion organizations like Moms for Liberty quoting Hitler, books like Maus I and II by Art Spiegelman are vital to protect...which is why Jennifer and Courtney are asking why a historical account featuring a cartoon mouse is on the chopping block of censorship. Tune in to hear what has School Boards and parents so upset about a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel that transforms cartoon drawings into a masterpiece that shoulders the heaviness of Jewish genocide brought on by Nazis. 

Sources:

“Maus” Author Discusses Tennessee Book Ban, Book Burning | JewishBoston

Why does the Barbie movie have Republicans in such a tizzy? | Katrina vanden Heuvel | The Guardian

‘Barbie’ Seems to Have Destroyed Ben Shapiro

QAnon supporters are promoting 'Sound of Freedom.' Here's why

QAnon’s Antisemitism and What Comes Next | ADL

Holocaust Misconceptions - Illinois Holocaust Museum

Welcome back to “Moms for Book Liberty”! In today’s episode, Courtney and Jennifer are exploring “Melissa” by Alex Gino, a wonderful and wholesome chapter book about friendship and acceptance. While this book is considered a “junior” book and is recommended for anyone 8 and up, this episode is NOT a “junior” episode! Courtney and Jennifer don’t hold back as they expose the archaic backwardness of HB 1069 and the unjust attack on medical freedom and parental rights of SB 254. And don’t even get them started on the hypocrisy of Moms for Liberty! How can they claim that they “Don’t Co-Parent with the Government'' when they’re literally hugging politicians while wearing t-shirts that say “We Don’t Co-Parent with the Government”? Trust us, you don’t want to skip this deep dive into such an important piece of award-winning literature…It just might open the eyes of even the most bone-headed bigot!

Sources:

HB 1069 and SB 254

ACLU of Florida Statement on Gov. DeSantis’ Signing of Anti-LGBTQ+ Bills into Law

Don’t Say Gay Expansion, SB 1320/HB 1223/ HB 1069 | Florida Education Association

Legitimacy of 'customer' in Supreme Court gay rights case raises ethical and legal flags

Alex Gino Debuts New Title and Cover for Groundbreaking Trans Novel 

Alex Gino Shares the Importance of Changing The Title of GEORGE to MELISSA 

A$$holes with Ca$$aroles on Twitter

This week Jennifer and Courtney celebrate the 54th Aniversary of the Stonewall Riots with the review of "Heather Has Two Mommies" by Lesléa Newman and delve into the ever-charming Berenstain Bears, a family with Papa Bear, Mama Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear. These lovable creatures teach timeless lessons but with Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill, are the Berenstein Bears...dare we say...WOKE? 

What are the differences between the Berenstain Family and Heather's family? Sure, one family is furry and lives in a tree and the other...has two moms? And, how does Hitler relate to any of this? Tune in to find out. 

Sources:

BUY "Heather Has Two Mommies" from this independent, LGBTQ+, locally-owned, bookstore

House Bill 1069 (2023) - The Florida Senate

House Bill 1557 - The Florida Senate

Data & Statistics on Birth Defects - Cleft Palate | CDC

Magnus Hirschfeld - Wikipedia

Touching a Nerve: Exploring the Implications of the Self as Brain, Part 1 [Excerpt] - Scientific American

Moms for Liberty newsletter quotes Adolf Hitler, complains about being labeled 'extremist' (msn.com)