The 15 Most Banned Books in US Schools

"The organization's annual " Banned in the USA " report says the current environment of "unfettered book banning is reminiscent of the Red Scare of the 1950s." It defines a school book ban 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 governmental officials" that leads to the book being removed or restricted."

"The latest report found that 3,752 unique titles were affected by bans in the school year that ended in June. The most banned titles included "A Clockwork Orange" and "Wicked," while the most banned authors included Stephen King, Sarah J. Maas and Jodi Picoult. More than 80% of all bans originated in just three states: Florida, Texas and Tennessee."

"This past school year saw fewer total bans than in 2023-24, at more than 10,000, though the number is far above where it was in 2021-22 (more than 2,500 bans), when PEN America first started to compile an annual report. Since July 2021, PEN America has tracked 22,810 book bans across 45 states. One reason the total number of book bans may have dipped this year is that some titles are being pre-emptively taken off the shelves. "This functions as a form of 'obeying in advance' to anticipated restrictions from the state or administrative authorities, rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial," the report states."

An annual tally recorded 3,752 unique school titles banned in the school year ending in June. A school book ban is defined as any action taken against a book based on content that leads to removal or restriction following parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or governmental pressure. The most-targeted titles included A Clockwork Orange and Wicked; top authors included Stephen King, Sarah J. Maas and Jodi Picoult. More than 80% of bans originated in Florida, Texas and Tennessee. Since July 2021, 22,810 bans have been tracked across 45 states. Declines in new bans may reflect pre-emptive removals and previously banned books not returning to shelves.

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