PEN America Reports Nearly 12,000 School Book Bans This Year, a Record High

Nearly 12,000 book bans took place in U.S. public schools over the past year, according to a new study from PEN America — the highest total since the free expression organization began tracking removals five years ago.

The report, titled "Banned in the USA," found 11,982 cases of bans affecting 7,370 individual works. Over 4,500 titles appeared on the list for the first time, ranging from the 19th-century classic "Jane Eyre" to Sui Ishida's "Tokyo Ghoul" manga series.

For the second consecutive year, Stephen King was the author most likely to have his work withdrawn. King's books were pulled 312 times, with "The Shining" and "The Green Mile" among those impacted. The single most banned title was Patrick McCormick's novel "Sold," about a girl sold into sexual slavery in India, with 25 recorded removals. Other frequently targeted books include Margaret Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale," Laurie Halse Anderson's "Speak," and Ellen Hopkins' "Crank."

Many of the bans took place in Florida and Texas, where restrictive laws have been passed and conservative activists have pushed for removals. PEN found that school district administrators increasingly rely on AI software to determine which books should be pulled from library shelves.

Themes of race, racism, sexuality and gender identity remain the most common reasons books are challenged, the report said.

"School libraries make knowledge and ideas available, ensure books remain available for all regardless of personal or political ideologies, and open gateways to stories that inform, challenge, and reflect the realities of the world back to readers," the report reads. "Book bans impede the freedom to read, cutting students' access to a diversity of views, voices, perspectives, and literature they deserve to encounter."

The report arrives during Banned Books Week, with events at schools, libraries and other locations nationwide drawing attention to censorship efforts. Both PEN America and the American Library Association have reported historic surges in bans since the early 2020s.

Reporting by the Associated Press via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Read the original report: PEN America: Nearly 12,000 school book bans in a year, a record high.