Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Glenn Youngkin runs attack ad against Toni Morrison's 'Beloved,' McAuliffe
A week before Virginia voters pick their next governor, Republican nominee Glenn Youngkin released an ad featuring a woman, Laura Murphy, criticizing Democrat Terry McAuliffe for previously vetoing a bill that would have allowed parents statewide to opt their children out of reading any book with explicit material. The bill, dubbed the "Beloved bill," stemmed from Murphy's crusade to ban Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize–winning novel Beloved from Fairfax County classrooms.
Youngkin's ad, which centers on how inappropriate Morrison's book is, doesn't mention Beloved or Toni Morrison. "When my son showed me his reading material, my heart sunk," Murphy says. "It was some of the most explicit reading material you can imagine." Her son, Blake Murphy, was assigned Beloved, a novel about the haunting horrors of slavery, as a senior in his college-level Advanced Placement English class.
"It was disgusting and gross," Blake Murphy told The Washington Post in 2013, when he was a freshman at the University of Florida. "It was hard for me to handle. I gave up on it." He said reading Beloved before bed gave him night terrors. A decade later, he is a top lawyer at the National Republican Congressional Committee, as blogger Ben Yelin highlights.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Family-centric Common Sense Media says Beloved should be read by kids 15 and older. "It features a gritty infanticide, racial language, horrific sexual assaults, and even references to sex with animals," Common Sense explains. "But teens are mature enough to handle the challenges this book presents. At this age they can decide for themselves what they think about disturbing personal and historical events. Beloved is a beautiful, powerful book that will help all readers learn about the horrors of slavery — and leave them thinking about what it means to be a strong, heroic, or moral person."
McAuliffe is barely mentioned in the ad. But "Youngkin has increasingly built his campaign's momentum on issues of parental grievance, as conservatives nationwide accuse local school boards of pursuing a liberal cultural agenda," the Post reports. "The tactic seems to be working; polls show that Youngkin has gained on McAuliffe, and the race is a dead heat."
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona official sues to bar 100K from local voting
Speed Read A large number of residents who have not submitted citizenship documents might be prevented from voting in the battleground state's elections
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Laura Loomer making Republicans worried?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump says the MAGA influencer is a 'free spirit'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Celebrity sway: how the famous galvanize real civic engagement
In the Spotlight A recent study shows that celebrities may have more of a tangible impact on elections than you realize
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
US, Venezuelan opposition press Maduro to concede
Speed Read The Biden administration has offered Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro amnesty in exchange for giving up power after he lost last month's election
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Netanyahu makes controversial address
Speed Reads Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to Congress denounced Gaza war protestors
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Menendez convicted of bribery, fraud, and extortion
Speed Read The New Jersey Democratic Senator was found guilty in a federal corruption trial
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Venezuela election: first vote in a decade offers hope to poverty-stricken nation
The Explainer Nicolás Maduro agreed to 'free and fair' vote but poor polling and threat of prosecution pushes disputed leader to desperate methods
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Florida judge dismisses Trump documents case
Speed Read Judge Aileen Cannon ruled that special counsel Jack Smith was improperly appointed
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
How could J.D. Vance impact the special relationship?
Today's Big Question Trump's hawkish pick for VP said UK is the first 'truly Islamist country' with a nuclear weapon
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Hamas says military chief survived Israeli strike
Speed Read An Israeli bombing failed to hit its intended target, military commander Mohammed Deif, but killed at least 90 Palestinians
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published