Orlando schools have book named ‘Forbidden’ containing incest and sexual nudity

ORLANDO, Fla. (FLV) – The book “Forbidden,” by Tabitha Suzuma, is in two Orlando high schools and contains sexual activities involving incest and sexual nudity.

At the time of reporting, no parents have submitted a reconsideration request, according to the Orange County School District’s website.

According to BookLooks, a summary of concerns said the book contains “sexual activities including incest, sexual nudity, profanity, and suicide.”

The book’s main characters are a 17-year-old boy and 16-year-old girl who are siblings that have fallen in love, according to the book’s description on Amazon.

“Their clandestine romance quickly blooms into deep, desperate love. They know their relationship is wrong and cannot possibly continue. And yet, they cannot stop what feels so incredibly right,” the description said.

Two copies of the book have been found district-wide.

One copy has been at Dr. Phillips High School since 2015 and has been checked out a total of 11 times.

The other copy has been at Oak Ridge High School since 2012 and has been checked out a total of 12 times, according to a spokesperson from Orange County Public Schools.

Excerpts from the book show topics of incest and sexual activities.

After several near misses, he leans over to one side and reaches down to try and guide it in. His hand knocks against my leg. “Help me,” he whispers. I reach down and, after what seems an eternity, get it to the right place. I withdraw my hand and immediately feel myself tense. Lochan presses against me; I wince in anticipation. This is never going to fit. For a moment nothing happens. Then I feel him begin to push his way inside me.

He begins to push farther. A sharp stab makes me flinch, but then suddenly he is all the way in. We are as close as two people can be. Two bodies, blended into one…

Excerpt from “Forbidden” on page 382, via BookLooks.

Orange County School Board member Alicia Farrant said she was looking into the book during a May 9 school board meeting. During the meeting, the board voted to approval a revised board policy relating to library materials selection and adoption.

“Those two brother and sister decided they’re going to start having sexual relations and so the entire book discusses the sexual acts and explicit – that is called perversion – and those are not the windows that I would want any student having to look into and see,” Farrant said.

Farrant said she believes they can have diverse characters and narratives without having the “sexual” content.

“I think there’s people of this board that can see, I’ve said from day one, it’s not about gender. it’s not about race, and is not about religion. It is about making sure that books do not contain explicit sexual content.”

The district has a record on their website of all requests for reconsideration that highlight the specific objections, the result of the reconsideration request and the grade level or course for any library media materials that were removed or discontinued.

Orange County Public Schools follow policy and procedures that provide guidelines for the appropriateness of Library Media Center books and materials. 

The district lists 11 books that have been reviewed since 2011.