PEN America Index of School Book Bans – Fall 2022
PEN America's fall 2022 Index of Banned Books found 1,477 instances of individual books banned, affecting 874 unique titles. This searchable banned book list includes each documented book ban… More
PEN America Index of School Book Bans – 2021-2022
PEN America's 2022 Banned in the USA report offered the first comprehensive look at banned books throughout the 2021–22 school year. This searchable banned book list includes each documented… More
Educational Censorship
Today, books in the US are under profound attack. They are disappearing from library shelves, being challenged in droves, being decreed off limits by school boards, legislators, and prison… More
The PEN Pod: On Educational Gag Orders and the January 6 Insurrection Subpoena
“We should be encouraging young people to look at our history through a variety of lenses—through the lens of race, through the lens of socioeconomics, gender.” More
Educational Gag Orders: Legislative Restrictions on the Freedom to Read, Learn, and Teach
This report chronicles the alarming spread of legislative efforts in 2021 to constrict education on topics related to race, gender, and American history. More
The PEN Pod: On Protesting Book Bans with the Students of York, PA
“We saw. . . what was happening at our school and we wanted to take immediate action. . . . Because we knew we had to do it.” More
Free Expression and Education
PEN America’s free expression and education program works with schools to ensure robust protections for freedom of speech are balanced with advancements in diversity and inclusion. More
DARE: ‘I’m About to Die’: Students Take to Social Media During Florida School Shooting
High school freshmen tweet out Florida school shooting in real time, being the first to inform the world. Feverish debates erupt over gun control, amid widespread recognition that repeated… More
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