DeSantis press secretary says Fidel Castro children’s book not ‘true history,’ blames progressives

The press secretary for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized a children’s book about deceased former Cuban leader Fidel Castro while also assailing progressives who criticize Republicans over book bans. 

Christina Pushaw retweeted an image Monday of the back of the “Who was Fidel Castro?” children’s illustration novel being sold in a bookstore.

“Found in the Florida Keys,” she wrote along with a sickly-green face emoji. “The same progressives who scream all day that Republicans banned teaching ‘true history,’ think THIS is true history and want to indoctrinate your kids with it.”

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Republicans have been criticized over what critics have said are attempts to ban books in from public school libraries. Those books tend to contain graphic sexual content. Pushaw’s tweet was in response to a tweet about the illustration book about the communist leader being sold in a Florida bookstore. Florida is home to more than 1 million Cuban exiles who fled Castro’s regime. 

An image tweeted of the book shows the back asking about who was the Cuban leader, whether he was a “boy who loved sports – especially baseball,” a lawyer that helped the poor or the leader of the Cuban revolution. 

The correct answer in the book was “All of the above!” Castro died in 2016 after nearly 50 years of inspiring both loyalty and loathing from his countrymen while maintaining an iron grip on Cuban politics as its militaristic communist dictator. His brother, Raul Castro, took power when Fidel’s health declined. Miguel Diaz-Canel has ruled Cuba as the communist party’s first secretary since 2018.

The novel is part of the “Who Was?” book series by Penguin Random House. The series features children’s books about various leaders and famous figures such as deceased athlete Jim Thorpe, civil rights icon U.S. Rep. Jon Lewis, Frank Sinatra and Sen. John McCain. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the publisher.