Book bans hit another record: PEN America

After reaching record highs, book bans in U.S. schools have reached a new high, according to free speech advocacy group PEN America.

In the first half of the current school year, the group found more than 4,000 cases of book bans, surpassing the number found in the entire 2022-23 school year.

The new record far surpassed the first half of the 2022-23 school year, which saw a record high of nearly 1,500 bans.

“For anyone who cares about the foundations of American values ​​and the protection of free speech, this report should be a red alert,” said Sabrina Baêta, Freedom to Read program manager at PEN America and lead author of the report.

The report, from July to December, found bans in 23 states and 52 school districts.

Many of the books that faced backlash focused on rape, sexual violence and women, along with themes of racism and LGBTQ individuals.

“Book bans target narratives about race and sexual identities and sexual content on a massive scale, and show no signs of stopping. The bans we see are broad, severe and pernicious – and they are undermining the education of millions of students across the country,” said Baêta.

From July 2021 to last December, Pen America recorded more than 10,000 cases of book bans.

Florida had the most, with more than 3,000, while Kentucky and Virginia had the least.

PEN America also highlighted efforts by students and teachers to protest book bans or create alternative routes for children to find endangered titles, such as through banned book clubs.

The group defines a textbook ban as an action taken against a book by the community or administrators that leads to a book being completely removed or restricted when it was available.