Censorship and Book Bans
- Marcella Lopez
- Jun 2
- 4 min read
As someone who believes self-expression via art is critical for individual and societal well-being, it is disheartening to learn of continued censorship, especially among historically underrepresented groups.
Books are under attack in the U.S. Most notably, books written by authors of color, LGBTQ+ identity, and women; and those with topics on racism, sexuality, gender, and history.
In this blog article, I will explore the topic of censorship and book bans in the U.S.
What is Book Banning?
For books to be available in schools, either in a school/classroom library or as part of a curriculum, they would typically have been selected by librarians and educators . However, when those choices are overridden by school boards, administrators, teachers, or politicians, because of a book’s content, it is considered a book ban—a removal or restriction of a book. It is important to note that the banning of a single book title can mean that up to hundreds of copies are also banned, as the book can be pulled from libraries or classrooms in a given school district.
PEN America 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 lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished. Diminished access is a form of censorship and has educational implications that extend beyond a title’s removal."
Further, "a book ban occurs when an objection to the content of a specific book or type of book leads to that volume being withdrawn either fully or partially from availability, or when a blanket prohibition or absolute restriction is placed on a particular title within a school or a district."
It's also important to note that motions to censor or ban books also spread to public libraries and booksellers.
What Type of Content is Being Banned?
Based on some research from PEN America, from 7/1/23 to 6/30/24, there were 4,218 unique titles banned. Of these banned titles, 36% (1,534) were characters or people of color, 25% (1,066) were LQBTQ+ characters or people, and 10% included neurodivergent or disabled characters or people. In addition, most of the banned titles were fiction (85%). The top five banned genres were: realistic fiction, dystopia/sci-fi/fantasy, history and biography, mystery and thriller, and educational.
Further, a scholarly article published in June 2024, "Book bans in political context: Evidence from US schools," reviewed various data sources to examine the content of the books being banned, any predictors of it, and repercussions thereafter. They found that "(i) banned books are disproportionately written by people of color and feature characters of color, both fictional and historical, in children's books; (ii) right-leaning counties that have become less conservative over time are more likely to ban books than neighboring counties; and (iii) national and state levels of interest in books are largely unaffected after they are banned."
And despite this well documented research, on 1/24/25, the U.S. Department of Education issued a press release titled "U.S. Department of Education Ends Biden’s Book Ban Hoax." This press release announced that the U.S. Department of Education Office of Civil Rights (OCR) dismissed 11 complaints on book bans and the prior administration's stance that book bans may violate civil rights. This press release noted that the new administration's OCR attorneys confirmed that "books are not being 'banned,' but that school districts, in consultation with parents and community stakeholders, have established commonsense processes by which to evaluate and remove age-inappropriate materials."
Is Book Banning New?
No, book bans are not new. They have taken place in public schools throughout American history, with some spikes in the McCarthy era and the early 1980s as an example. However, the scope of this type of censorship has expanded over the last several years.
2024: 5,813
2023: 9,021
2022: 6,863
2021: 3,916
2020: 278
2019: 334
2018: 258
2017: 304
2016: 241
2015: 233
What Can You Do?
Does all this talk about banned books make you curious to read them? You should!
Explore some reading material on the Banned Books Book Club website
Also, the Books Unbanned program through the San Diego Public library, allows access teens and young adults ages 12 - 26 living in the U.S.
Stay current on intellectual freedom by signing up for the free Intellectual Freedom News newsletter
Participate in Banned Books Week
Choose a banned book for your next book club pick.
Follow an author on social media that has a banned book. Like their posts and show your support.
Here's some examples of banned children's books (kid lit)
And while our current state looks like this, it doesn't mean that our future state has to. Let us continue to support authors and artists and creators—inclusive of writers of color, characters of color, and historically underrepresented groups.
Let us continue to strive for intellectual freedom and self-expression.
