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Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week 2025

Banned Books Week is Oct. 5-11, 2025.

Image of various book covers with a banner reading Banned Books Week 2025 #DontCensorAmerica. Showcasing titles like The Lovely Bones and The Kite Runner, this highlights the theme of censorship and the freedom to read during Banned Books Week.

Book bans are on the rise in classrooms and libraries across the country. PEN America champions the freedom to read. We invite readers, authors, educators, librarians, and everyone who opposes censorship to get involved during Banned Books Week 2025. Learn more about PEN America’s groundbreaking research, this year’s events, and how you can take action!

What you need to know:

PEN America recorded 6,870 instances of book bans in the 2024-2025 school year.

In the 2024-2025 school year, PEN America counted book bans in 23 states and 87 public school districts, with Florida and Texas leading in number of bans.

In the 2024-2025 school year, book bans affected the works of almost 2,600 artists, including 2,308 authors, 243 illustrators and 38 translators.  

Our Latest Findings

A diagram for Banned Books Week displays expanding circles of book bans by school year: 2,532 (2021-2022), 3,362 (2022-2023), 10,046 (2023-2024), and 6,870 (2024-2025). The PEN America logo appears.

The Normalization of Book Banning

In 2025, book censorship in the United States is rampant and common. Never before in the life of any living American have so many books been systematically removed from school libraries across the country. For many students, families, educators, librarians, and school districts, book banning is a new normal. 

Read the latest findings

2025 Events

Join us at a Banned Books Week event near you!

Take Action

Write to Your Elected Officials

Let your state and federal elected officials know you oppose censorship and support public schools and libraries, diverse books, and the value they bring to your communities.

Contact your state representatives Contact your Congressional representatives
A vertical stack of books with visible titles, including Water for Elephants, The Handmaids Tale, and The Kite Runner, showcases thought-provoking stories often found on the banned books list 2024, alongside Crank and Thirteen Reasons Why.

Read a Banned Book

The most banned books of the 2024-25 school year include A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, Sold, by Patricia McCormick, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas.

See the full list

Read a Banned Picture Book

Books for young adults and adults aren’t the only targets. The most frequently banned picture books include gay or transgender characters or naked butts  — human or otherwise.

Banned picture books
A collage of childrens book covers featuring diverse themes and characters. Titles include The Family Book, Prince & Knight, A is for Activist, Julian is a Mermaid, and more. Illustrations depict various colorful and engaging designs.
A collage of book covers surrounds a central message that reads, “Standing together for the freedom to read,” with “freedom to read” highlighted in bold red text and the call, “Don't Censor America,” echoing around the center.

Stand Together for the Freedom to Read

Join PEN America and dozens of literacy and advocacy organizations in our pledge to fight censorship and book banning efforts around the country.

Take the pledge

Learn More About Book Bans & Censorship

Help PEN America Fight Book Bans

PEN America is the leading organization fighting book bans, protecting the freedom to read, and ensuring that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, convey information and ideas, and express their views. Please join us today.

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