Banned Books Week 2025
Banned Books Week is Oct. 5-11, 2025.
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!
Our Latest Findings
Restrictions on Books Rise 2021-2024
Following trends from previous years in which books were targeted for including diverse perspectives, book bans from the 2023-2024 school year overwhelmingly featured stories with people or characters of color and/or LGBTQ+ people. We also observed how cases of book bans increasingly target stories by and about women and girls or that include depictions of rape or sexual abuse.
What You Need to Know
PEN America research found 10,000+ instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year—more than double the last school year.
This is nearly triple the number from the previous school year, and about 8,000 bans were recorded in Florida and Iowa alone.
In part due to the targeting of sexual content, the stark increase includes books featuring romance, books about women’s sexual experiences, and books about rape or sexual abuse.
Take Action
Write to Elected Officials
Join PEN America, We Believe, Every Library, and a consortium of nonprofit organizations to let our state leaders know that we have had enough: we support public schools and libraries, diverse books, and the value they bring to our communities.
Read a Banned Book
The most banned books of the 2023-2024 school year include Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes, John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini.
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.
Learn More About Book Bans & Censorship
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5 Ways to Fight Book Bans
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What to Say About Book Bans at School Board and Library Meetings
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Book Bans
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Book Ban Resources
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Book Ban Reports
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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