PEN AMERICA NEEDS YOUR HELP.
#FREETHEBOOKS
In classrooms, school districts, and libraries across the country, the freedom to read is under assault by restrictions and bans on books.
Even as Florida Gov. DeSantis claimed book bans are a “nasty hoax,” dozens of books were removed from shelves in Martin County, Florida. For more on why shelves are empty, read our explainer on what’s happening in Florida. Book bans are a problem throughout the country. Our landmark Banned in the USA report found 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 unique book titles in the 2021-22 school year.
Join us to #FreeTheBooks by taking action and making your voice heard.
SPEAK UP
- Join PEN America in telling Martin County, Florida to put books back on shelves.
- Add your name to the growing band of activists working and striving to protect the written word.
- Stay informed of new threats and learn how you can help fight censorship by signing up for PEN America’s newsletter about educational censorship.
- Become a member of PEN America and join a dedicated community readers, writers, and free speech defenders.
FOR STUDENTS AND PARENTS
Are you a student whose school or library has proposed or already removed or restricted access to books?
- Report book bans in your community, and get in touch with our experts.
- Our tip sheet, How to Fight Book Bans, has steps you can take to organize readers, writers, and educators in your community and fight back against bans, gag orders, and restrictions.
- Learn more about our Free Expression Advocacy Institutes, PEN America’s signature educational and training programs which are designed to provide students with innovative opportunities to learn about and take action on free expression issues in the United States and worldwide.
- Help other learn about book bans by sharing our book bans FAQ.
- Learn how to plan a peaceful protest.
FOR AUTHORS
Are you an author whose book has been restricted, banned, or threatened for removal?
- Start with our tip sheet for authors, So, Your Book Has Been Challenged.
- Stay in touch with PEN America and other writers who believe in the power of free speech by becoming a professional member today.
For Librarians
Are you a librarian facing threats, harassment, or pressure to remove books from your shelves?
- Start with our tip sheet for librarians, which is intended to equip librarians with strategies to navigate online abuse.
BE HEARD
- Download this sign and post a photo of yourself holding it with the hashtag #FreeTheBooks to show you cherish the right to read.
- Follow PEN America on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok for updates on the latest news in attempts to restrict the freedom to read.
STAY INFORMED
Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools
PEN America’s latest report on book bans, Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools, explores the forces behind localized efforts to target books.
Read more 
America’s Censored Classrooms
PEN America’s latest report on educational gag orders, America’s Censored Classrooms, analyzes the landscape of educational censorship as of August 2022 and predicts the future of these punitive assaults on education.
Read more 
The Index
Books are disappearing from library shelves and being decreed off-limits by school boards, legislators, and private citizens. PEN America tracks book bans in libraries and classrooms across America in our Index of School Book Bans.
Read more 
The Reading List
This list spotlights 78 of the most banned books in America (at least 4 times from libraries and classrooms). Books by authors of color, LGBT+ authors, and women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, and history.
Read more JOIN US
[Virtual] The Media’s Role in the Era of Book Bans
TueNovember 12022
Panel Discussion Virtual
Join us for a thought-provoking panel on the crucial role Black media can play in fostering conversations regarding the banning of Black books
Book Bans and Disinformation: The Ties Between Media Literacy and the Freedom to Read
WedOctober 122022
Conversation Digital Event
PEN America and the Dallas Public Library present a media literacy workshop on community-based approaches to defeating disinformation, book bans, and other anti-democratic movements.
Let’s Get Organized: Fighting Book Bans Together
SatSeptember 242022
In Person
We sit down to discuss the value of writing, publishing, and access to diverse books, and how we can come together and unite against book banning.
READ THE LATEST
These books are banned in Martin County, Florida
March 13, 2023
Last week, Martin County, Florida, released a list of dozens of books it had removed from school libraries, including 20 books by Jodi Picoult, nine books from James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, and two books by Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison. Some were removed from multiple locations, for a total of 92 book bans. It […]
Florida Book Bans Are No Hoax: Here Are The Facts
March 10, 2023
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis set out to "expose the book ban hoax" about Florida classrooms. His claims are false.
PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel Responds to Remarks by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that Book Bans Are a ‘Hoax’
March 8, 2023
If we take Gov. Ron DeSantis at his word that he is simply aiming to protect students from porn and sexualized texts, then the approaches and methods being legislated statewide go far beyond any conceivable effort in service of that goal.
Report A Book Ban
Stay In Touch
PEN America is hard at work fighting the the educational gag orders, book bans, and “transparency” bills that threaten free expression and academic freedom in the classroom. Sign up to receive email updates about PEN America’s vital work on these issues, including reports, legislative roundups, media coverage, and advocacy alerts.