Challenges to library books continue at record pace in 2023, American Library Association reports

American Library Association report on 'book bans' blasted by conservative scholar

FILE - Amanda Darrow, director of youth, family and education programs at the Utah Pride Center, poses with books that have been the subject of complaints from parents on Dec. 16, 2021, in Salt Lake City. With legislators in Florida barring even the mention of being gay in classrooms and similar restrictions being considered in other states, books with LGBTQ+ themes remain the most likely targets of bans or attempted bans at public schools and l…

'Eating away at the foundations of our democracy': Book bans spiked 33 percent last school year

A new report released Thursday by the free expression group PEN America warns that the Republican-led book banning movement is intensifying nationwide, with U.S. classrooms and libraries prohibiting more than 1,500 unique titles during the 2022-23 school year.PEN recorded 3,362 total instances of book bans across the U.S., a 33% increase compared to the previous school year. More than 40% of all book bans in the U.S. in 2022-23 took place in Flo…

Report: Attempts to Ban Books in 2023 Are Outpacing Previous Year by 20 Percent

Attempts to ban books and other library materials and services have reached the highest level since the American Library Association (ALA) started recording such incidents decades ago, according to a preliminary analysis from the organization. Through the first eight months of 2023, there were 695 challenges to materials at K-12 schools and academic libraries across the U.S., the ALA announced in... Source

Study: Book bans jumped 33% last school year

"Eating away at the foundations of our democracy"

School book bans have increased 33% since last year, but hope is not lost

Despite growing lawsuits and protests against book restrictions, bans continue to spread rapidly, according to a new report. But students are providing a glimmer of hope.

Book bans jumped by 33 percent last year: report

Story at a glance Book ban attempts increased by 33 percent during the 2022-23 school year, a new PEN America report shows. A total of 1,557 individual book titles were removed from school classroo…