The surge in book bans reflects a nationwide chill over children's literature, with a 200% rise linked to conservative 'parent rights' campaigns targeting LGBTQ+ themes.
Publishers depend on school and library purchases, yet those selling books with LGBTQ+ characters see significant drops in sales, even if critically acclaimed.
Teachers and librarians face the challenge of balancing the importance of diverse literature against potential repercussions of criminalizing certain works, leading to an environment of 'soft censorship'.
With over 10,000 book bans reported, books featuring characters of color or LGBTQ+ themes are targeted systematically, creating a narrow scope of what literature can be shared.
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