Book Bans
PEN America tracks book bans and fights censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.
Books are under profound attack in the United States. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted more than 10,000 book bans in public schools. And everywhere, it is the books that have long fought for a place on the shelf that are being targeted. Books by authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors, by women. Books about racism, sexuality, gender, history. PEN America pushes back against censorship and the intolerance and exclusion that undergird it.
PEN America is Suing Against Book Bans in TeNnessee
In April 2025, PEN America joined three students and their parents as plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit against the Rutherford County Board of Education, challenging book removals and restrictions that violate the First Amendment rights of students to receive information and of authors to free expression.
TAKE ACTION TO FIGHT BOOK BANS
Join PEN America and a coalition of education and rights organizations in fighting against censorship and book restrictions across the country. You can send letters to your elected officials, learn more about fighting bans in your community, even get some swag!
Banned book list 2025
PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.
What you need to know:
PEN America recorded 10,046 instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year.
In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted book bans in 29 states and 220 public school districts, with Florida and Iowa leading in number of bans.
Of the most commonly banned books in the 2023-2024 school year, 44% featured people and characters of color and 39% featured LGBTQ+ people and characters.
2023-2024 Book Bans by State
Primer: The Latest on Book Bans
PEN America has documented thousands of book bans since 2021, when the scope of censorship expanded dramatically, tied to directives from elected officials & pressure from local groups. Hear from our book ban expert, Kasey Meehan.
Research & Resources
Learn more about PEN America’s research on book bans and find out how to fight back against book restrictions.
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Cover to Cover
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Banned in the USA: Beyond the Shelves
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Memo on School Book Bans from PEN America
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Banned Books Week 2024
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PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2022-2023
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Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis
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5 Ways to Fight Book Bans
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What Is a Book Ban? And More Frequently Asked Questions
Latest Blogs & Commentary
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‘All I want is for children to know they belong’: Charlotte Sullivan Wild on writing books children can see themselves in
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Adriana Herrera Is Unapologetic About Happy Endings
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‘These books are all joyful’: Katherine Locke wants to help everyone find their words
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‘All kids deserve to see families like their own in the books they read’: Robin Stevenson writes books she wishes she had read growing up
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‘All children should feel safe to use the bathroom’: Sarah and Ian Hoffman on writing to create a culture of kindness
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‘Uncle Bobby’s Wedding is a gentle little story about a family’: Sarah S. Brannen’s 20-year fight for LGBTQ+ children’s books
Join the fight against book removals, restrictions, and bans across the U.S. Support PEN America and stand with banned authors, beleagured librarians and embattled educators.