Julianne Moore’s children’s book under review by Trump administration

Julianne Moore expressed that it was a “great shock” to discover that one of her books had been “banned by the Trump Administration” in schools for children of U.S.A. military and civilian defence employees.

In an Instagram post on Sunday, the Boogie Nights and Mary & George actress shared that she was “truly saddened” by the announcement. According to ‘The Guardian’, the previous Monday, the Department of Defense released a memo indicating it was reviewing library books “potentially related to gender ideology or discriminatory equity ideology topics.” Following a week-long suspension of library book access for review, a “small number of items” were identified for “further review.”

Moore’s book Freckleface Strawberry, about a girl who dislikes her freckles but learns to accept them, is among those caught in the general review, as reported by the Guardian’s list. However, it's unclear whether the book was targeted for further examination or removal.

Moore stated, “It is a book I wrote for my children and for other kids to remind them that we all struggle, but are united by our humanity and our community.”

According to the Department of Defense, the library book review is part of a broader assessment of all “instructional resources” to ensure that its schools comply with Trump’s executive orders on Ending Radical Indoctrination in K-12 Schooling and Defending Women from Gender Ideology Extremism.

Moore, who received an Oscar in 2015 for Still Alice, remarked that she is “particularly stunned” by this news, given her status as a “proud graduate” of the now-closed Frankfurt American high school run by the Defense Department. She added that her father is a Vietnam veteran who dedicated his career to the U.S. army. “I could not be prouder of him and his service to our country. It is galling for me to realize that kids like me, growing up with a parent in the service and attending a [Defense Department] school, will not have access to a book written by someone whose life experience is so similar to their own. And I can’t help but wonder what is so controversial about this picture book that has caused it to be banned by the US government.”

Other books included in the “compliance review” are Kathleen Krull's No Truth Without Ruth, about Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the second woman on the U.S. Supreme Court. Books removed from library shelves have been moved to “the professional collection for evaluation with access limited to professional staff.”

Moore concluded, “I am truly saddened and never thought I would see this in a country where freedom of speech and expression is a constitutional right.”