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We Believe in the Freedom to Read
For Banned Books Week 2023, PEN America and We Believe gathered a consortium of publishers and nonprofit organizations to rally behind the freedom to read with this open letter.… More
Sample Script About Book Bans for School Board Meetings
Here is a sample script for anyone who wants to speak at a school board meeting against book bans and challenges to books. If you can't make it in… More
What to Say About Book Bans at School Board and Library Meetings
If you want to speak out, but aren’t sure how to talk about book bans at school board meetings or public library meetings, here are some simple suggestions. More
The 11 Most Banned Books of the 2022-2023 School Year
These were the 11 most banned books of the 2022-2023 school year, according to PEN America's Index of Banned Books. More
PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2022-2023
PEN America's 2022-2023 Index of Banned Books found 3,362 instances of individual books banned. This searchable banned book list includes each documented book ban in the 2022-23 school year. More
These Books Are Banned in Urbandale, Iowa School District
PEN America sent an open letter to the Urbandale, Iowa school district to reverse an order to remove a list of nearly 400 titles. Here are some of the… More
Manuscripts Don’t Burn: a Timeline of Literary Censorship, Destruction, and Liberation
As we reach a new turning point in the history of book banning, PEN America has compiled a timeline of the most notorious acts of censorship and how we've… More
Pride Month: A Banned Book Reading List
The last two years have seen unmitigated attacks on LGBTQ+ content in public school libraries, with 26% of banned books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes. For Pride month, PEN… More
Art Spiegelman on Banning ‘Maus’
Art Spiegelman talks about the banning of 'Maus' as it is reviewed in Missouri for concerns about sexually explicit material. More