Many Book Bans Could Be Judging Titles Mainly by Their Covers

Many book bans could be judging titles mainly by their covers

A display at the Hoboken Public Library in Hoboken, N.J., features books that have been targeted or banned in other states. Ana Fernandez/AFP via Getty ImagesOver the past decade, a growing movement to restrict access to books in public schools and libraries has spread across the country. Every year, there are hundreds of attempts to challenge or ban books, targeting thousands of titles. According to the nonprofit free speech advocacy group PEN …

23,000 Book Bans Since 2021: PEN America Releases Its Latest Report on the State of Literary Censorship

In the run up to Banned Books Week, October 5-11, PEN America has released their latest report on book bans over the last school year. Their findings continue to highlight what anti-censorship have been saying for years: the attacks are getting bigger, going higher, and continuing to happen at a whirlwind pace. Before exploring the information in “The Normalization of Book Banning,” it’s worth providing a couple of important details. First: PEN …