Since 2021, there have been at least 22,810 instances of book banning in the United States, a trend one organization argues is the new normal.
PEN America, a nonprofit free speech advocacy organization, has been recording nationwide book bans for the last several years. According to a new analysis released last week, a trend that originated with “parental rights” legislation in Florida and other states has now reached the federal level.
“Since returning to office, the Trump Administration has mimicked rhetoric about ‘parents’ rights,’ which, in Florida and other states, has largely been used to advance book bans and censorship of schools, against the wishes of many parents, students, families and educators,” the report reads.
In the 2024-25 school year alone, PEN America recorded 6,780 instances of book bans across 23 states and 87 public school districts. The organization defines book banning as:
“Any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by government officials, that leads to a book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”
Altogether, since July 2021, the organization has identified 22,810 cases of book bans across 45 states and 451 public school districts.
Most banned titles
As for the 2024-25 school year, some 3,752 unique book titles were targeted across 87 school districts nationwide. The most banned books include:
- A Clockwork Orange (23 bans)
- Breathless (20 bans)
- Sold (20 bans)
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club (19 bans)
- A Court of Mist and Fury (18 bans)
- Crank (17 bans)
- Forever… (17 bans)
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower (17 bans)
- Wicked (17 bans)
Florida led the nation with 2,304 instances of book bans last school year, following the passage of multiple laws, pressure from local groups and elected officials, as well as direct threats to educators’ professional licenses if they fail to comply, according to PEN America.
Utah and South Carolina last year introduced mechanisms to create state-mandated “no read” lists. Utah’s HB29 mandates statewide bans, making it the first instance of a state releasing an official list of books that are illegal to stock on school shelves.
“Opposing this will no longer take just counter-efforts to any one of these threats; it will require a similarly committed effort, rooted in recognition of the fundamental right to read,” PEN America wrote.
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Read the full report here.
