ST. LOUIS — Book bans across public school districts nationwide increased by 33% during the 2022-23 academic year compared to the previous year, according to a new PEN America report, which says there were 333 book bans in Missouri.

What You Need To Know

  • PEN America said the increase in book bans was due to “vaguely worded” state legislation, local and national advocacy groups pressuring districts to remove more books, and the fear of penalties, legal liabilities and criminal punishments. In August, PEN America reported that Missouri was leading the nation in “education intimidation bills” as lawmakers had introduced 30 among the nearly 400 countrywide

  • The organization has recorded almost 6,000 instances of book bans since July 2021, including 3,362 book bans during the 2022-23 school year, which affected 1,557 “unique titles” and impacted the work of 1,480 authors, illustrators and translators

  • The report also highlights the growth in student pushback against the book bans across the country. Youth resistance in many school districts have included protests, speaking out at school board meetings, and establishing national organizations dedicated to defending access to literature in schools

The organization has recorded almost 6,000 instances of book bans since July 2021, including 3,362 book bans during the 2022-23 school year, which affected 1,557 “unique titles” and impacted the work of 1,480 authors, illustrators and translators, according to a press release.

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.”

Florida surpassed Missouri, Texas, Utah and Pennsylvania in the number of book ban cases, totaling 1,406, according to PEN America. There were 625 in Texas, 281 in Utah and 186 in Pennsylvania. Those were cases where books were banned from classrooms, libraries or both, or were banned pending an investigation.

“ ‘Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor’ highlights the disproportionate number of bans occurring in Florida — where over 40% of all book bans took place in the 2022-23 school year — and shows how state legislation and coordinated pressure campaigns from local groups and individuals have driven mass restrictions on access to literature,” the press release states.

PEN America said the increase in book bans was due to “vaguely worded” state legislation, local and national advocacy groups pressuring districts to remove more books, and the fear of penalties, legal liabilities and criminal punishments.

In August, PEN America reported that Missouri was leading the nation in “education intimidation bills” as lawmakers had introduced 30 among the nearly 400 countrywide.

“The range of efforts to restrict teaching or intimidate educators also continues to expand. The escalation of book bans — combined with the proliferation of legislative efforts to restrict teaching about topics like race, gender, American history and LGBTQ+ identities, as well as the rise in ‘educational intimidation’ mandates that require intrusive monitoring of teachers and librarians — pose a grave threat to the freedom to read and learn in schools across the country,” the press release states.  

Among the report’s other major findings include the following as stated in the press release:

  • Over 75% of the books banned are young adult books, middle grade books, chapter books or picture books — in other words, books specifically written and selected for younger audiences.
  • Of the 3,362 books banned this year, 1,263 were banned from classrooms and school libraries, compared to only 333 books in this category last year. This represents an increase of nearly 400% compared to the last school year.
  • Nearly half of all book bans (48%) during the 2022-23 school year deal with violence or physical abuse, including books that include sexual assault; 30% include characters of color and themes of race and racism; 30% represent LGBTQ+ identities; and six% include a transgender character.
  • In the 153 school districts across the country that banned a book during the 2022-23 school year, 122 (80%) have a chapter or local affiliate nearby of one or more of the three most prominent national groups pushing for book bans — Moms for Liberty, Citizens Defending Freedom, and Parents’ Rights in Education. These districts are where 86% (2,902) of book bans have occurred. 

“The toll of the book banning movement is getting worse. More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to exert their power over students as a whole,” said Suzanne Nossel, chief executive officer of PEN America.

“Those who are bent on the suppression of stories and ideas are turning our schools into battlegrounds, compounding post-pandemic learning loss, driving teachers out of the classroom and denying the joy of reading to our kids. By depriving a rising generation of the freedom to read, these bans are eating away at the foundations of our democracy.”

The press release states that the report highlights the growth in student pushback against the book bans across the country. Youth resistance in many school districts have included protests, speaking out at school board meetings, and establishing national organizations dedicated to defending access to literature in schools.

“This report expands on PEN America’s work documenting the spread of educational censorship in America’s schools, showing the rapid evolution and intensification of book-banning across the country since the April 2022 Banned in the USA report, which documented 1,477 instances of book bans in the first half of the 2021-22 school year,” the press release states.

To read the full report, click here.