PEN America Reports US Schools Banned 11,982 Book Titles

Record Numbers Across American School Districts

The restrictions affected 7,370 distinct titles, surpassing the previous high of 10,046 recorded during the 2023-2024 school year, tpo.nl noted. Fictional works accounted for 87 percent of the banned material, with Young Adult literature and children’s books making up the bulk of the restrictions. Stephen King remained the most heavily censored author for the second year, with his books subjected to 312 bans. Other frequently targeted titles included Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, John Green’s Looking for Alaska, Charlotte Brontë’s Jane Eyre, and Patricia McCormick’s Sold, which was banned in 25 districts.

State Legislation and Political Pressure in Texas and Florida

State laws served as the primary catalyst in 72 percent of all recorded bans, according to PEN America’s findings. Texas led the nation with 8,100 censorship actions, followed by Florida with at least 3,000 bans. In Texas, the passage of laws such as SB 13 granted parents greater authority over school library collections and required new titles to remain publicly available for at least 30 days before school boards vote on them in open meetings. Alongside legislative mandates, school staff faced intense local scrutiny. Library personnel experienced intimidation from local authorities and advocacy groups, a dynamic documented in the film The Librarians, where staff members detailed the growing hostility surrounding collection management.

How AI Chatbots Accelerate the Censorship Cycle

Rather than assessing texts based on statutory definitions or individual content, the software frequently recommended removing books simply because other districts had already banned them. PEN America characterized this practice as a circular argument that creates a snowball effect of censorship. The automation also impacted graphic novels and translated manga series, where entire collections were removed because isolated illustrations were judged out of context.

International Repercussions for Libraries in the Netherlands

The pressure on library collections extended beyond the United States, with Dutch institutions facing similar controversies, nrc.nl reported. Incidents in the Netherlands included threats directed at drag queens reading stories in libraries and a brick thrown through the window of a Utrecht bookstore specializing in gender studies. Wilma van Wezenbeek, director of the KB National Library, described the situation in America as alarming, noting that free access to knowledge and diverse perspectives forms a core value of a democratic society. Van Wezenbeek advocated for challenging literature and affirmed her commitment to protecting open access to information.