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PEN America x UNDISTRACTED

PEN America x UNDISTRACTED

Fight book bans with Brittany Packnett Cunningham’s UNDISTRACTED and PEN America

A woman with reddish-brown hair and a serious expression sits against a blue background. Text above her reads, UNDISTRACTED with Brittany Packnett Cunningham. The Meteor logo appears in the corner, highlighting Banned Books Week 2024.

10,000

PEN America research finds 10,000+ instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year—more than double the last school year.

New: 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 and/or that include depictions of rape or sexual abuse.

Read the latest findings
A row of books with censored or blacked-out spines sits in front of a chalkboard background. Large white text above reads DONT CENSOR AMERICA, highlighting the need for Book Ban Resources.

Don’t Censor America

The warning signs are clear. Free expression, a cornerstone of American democracy, is at risk: books are being banned, facts distorted, and journalists are facing growing threats. So what can you do to fight back and safeguard free speech? Stand with writers, journalists, artists, and educators across America.

Ask your elected officials to take the #DontCensorAmerica pledge.

Send Letters to Your Elected Officials Today

Help PEN America Fight Book Bans

Animated illustration of a protest sign with changing messages against a bold red background. The text alternates between Protect, Your Right, To Read, spotlighting Banned Books Week 2024, with a PEN America logo in the corner.

PEN America’s research shows that book bans are speeding up, with more than 10,000 instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year – more than double the number in the previous year. Your support is critical to the fight against book bans. Please donate today.

Get Out the Reader Vote!

Tell everyone: “I AM PRO-BOOKS AND I VOTE!” The PEN America shop has tee shirts, sweaters, tote bags, puzzles, onesies, and works of original literature which highlight our free expression advocacy. Show your support for the freedom to read today with exclusive designs by Todd Parr, Mike Curato, Art Spiegelman, Lingua Franca, and more!

Shop Now
Celebrate Banned Books Week 2024 with tie-dye shirts and a tote bag featuring the slogan Im Pro-Books and I Vote in a circular design. Available in black and blue, they sport stars and bold text, perfect for advocating your literary freedom.
A collage of various book covers, including A Court of Mist and Fury, Gender Queer, Sulwe, and more, arranged in a diagonal grid pattern to highlight Banned Books Week 2024.

Read Banned Books

In this reading list, we chose to spotlight the most banned books in U.S. schools. 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. Read banned books, and fight for the right to read.

Read the List

Learn More

Learn more about how to fight back against book restrictions.

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