What were the most popularly banned books of last school year? See charts
(This story was updated to add new information.)
Book bans nearly tripled during the 2023-2024 school year with more than 10,000 books banned in public schools, according to a new report. The spike reflects a renewed effort since 2021 to ban or restrict books in the U.S.
PEN America, a nonprofit organization that tracks book bans, says in its report that commonly censored books portray themes of race, sexuality and gender identity. They also show young people dealing with substance abuse, suicide, depression and other mental health issues.
Moms For Liberty, a right-wing political activist group, has been a powerful crusader within the parents' rights movement, with a major focus on restricting access to books with sexual content.
The advocacy group previously posted online that, “age appropriate is not banning,”
The organization wrote, "Schools have the responsibility of keeping obscene and pornographic materials out of the hands of children. Our moms are working within their communities to make sure books in public schools are age appropriate for all children.”
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program, said in the report, "What students can read in schools provides the foundation for their lives, whether critical thinking, empathy across difference, personal well-being, or long-term success."
Meehan added "The defense of the core principles of public education and the freedom to read, learn, and think is as necessary now as ever.”
PEN America and the American Library Association use different methodologies and definitions of "ban" and "challenge" when documenting instances of book censorship. According to PEN America, the group is the only organization that tracks book bans in schools nationwide while the ALA records challenges that are filed against books in libraries.
Top banned books of the previous school year:
According to PEN America, these are the most commonly banned books in schools:
Suzanne Trimel, senior adviser for communications and media at PEN America, previously told Paste BN that the group tracks bans through school board minutes, local news stories and reports from organizational partners across the country. PEN America notes on its website that it does not document book challenges that do not result in bans.
Most commonly challenged books of 2023
"A book challenge is any attempt to restrict or remove a book based on objections to its content," according to PEN America. "A book ban is the removal or restriction of those materials."
According to the American Library Association, the most challenged books of 2023 were:
The ALA compiles its data on book challenges from news stories and reports from library professionals, according to the association's website.
"A challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict access to materials or services based upon the objections of a person or group," the ALA said on its website. "A book is banned when it is entirely removed from a collection in response to a formal or informal challenge."
States with the most book bans
The PEN America report shows that Florida was the state with the most book bans during the 2023-2024 school year, followed by Iowa. The organization said laws in both states censor certain books in public schools.
In Florida, legislation dictates that titles including sexual content, even if it is not pornographic, are subject to removal. Teachers in the state can be charged with a felony for possessing and distributing inappropriate books. “Inappropriate” can be hard to define. Mentions of race or an LGBTQ+ person or relationship and sexual violence in any context have fallen under that term.
American Library Association President Cindy Hohl previously told Paste BN that she hopes readers feel more motivated to engage with books that are being challenged and removed.
“I would encourage people to look into any banned book that’s on the list and try to understand why someone felt that information was unnecessary for your community. Make an informed decision for yourself,” she said.
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, Jennifer Borresen, Anna Kaufman and Clare Mulroy