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A map shows which states banned the most books in the 2024-2025 school year.
PEN America recorded 6,870 instances of books being pulled from school libraries across 23 states and in 87 public school districts from July 2024 and June this year, according to a new report called “Banned in the USA”, released earlier in October
The vast majority of instances were in just three states—Florida, Texas and Tennessee, according to the report.
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Why It Matters
Libraries around the U.S. are marking Banned Books Week from October 5-11 amid an escalation in efforts to ban books from libraries, schools and bookstores around the country.
The PEN report warns that book censorship has become “rampant and common” in the United States, with current efforts reminiscent of the Red Scare in the 1950s. It warns that increased censorship is undermining public education as school districts respond to pressure from conservative groups as well as state laws and policy changes to remove books from library shelves.
The organization acknowledges that the numbers in the report are far from comprehensive, since it relies largely on media reports and information that they receive directly, meaning there is no banning data from several Republican-led states.
What To Know
Florida led the nation for the third year in a row by banning 2,304 books during the 2024-2025 school year, followed by Texas with 1,781 bans and Tennessee with 1,622, according to the PEN report.
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The report found Stephen King was the most banned author in the past school year. King’s books were banned 206 times, with 87 of his titles affected, according to PEN.
Other authors who saw extensive restrictions on their books include Ellen Hopkins, Sarah J. Mass and Jodi Picoult.
The most banned title was Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, which was removed 23 times, according to ban.
That was followed by Sold by Patricia McCormick and Breathless by Jennifer Niven, with 20 bans each; Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo with 19 bans and A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas with 18 bans.
The PEN report found that the majority of authors whose books were targeted often explore themes of race and racism, gender identity and sexuality or depict sexual violence.
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What People Are Saying
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program and an author of the report, said in a statement: “Censorship pressures have expanded and escalated, taking on different forms – laws, directives, guidance that sow confusion, lists of books mislabeled as ‘explicit’ materials, and ‘do not buy’ lists.
“A disturbing ‘everyday banning’ and normalization of censorship has worsened and spread over the last four years. The result is unprecedented.”
Sabrina Baêta, senior manager of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, added: “No book shelf will be left untouched if local and state book bans continue wreaking havoc on the freedom to read in public schools.
“With the Trump White House now also driving a clear culture of censorship, our core principles of free speech, open inquiry, and access to diverse and inclusive books are severely at risk. Book bans stand in the way of a more just, informed and equitable world. They chill the freedom to read and restrict the rights of students to access information and read freely.”
What Happens Next
A Congressional resolution introduced by Representative Jamie Raskin and Senator Brian Schatz, both Democrats, expressed concern about the rise in book bans and called on local governments and school districts to “follow best practice guidelines” when addressing challenges to books.
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