Reading & Literacy Interactive

Book Bans Over the Years, in Charts

By Eesha Pendharkar — April 28, 2023 2 min read
The most banned books from the fall of 2022, according to PEN America.
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Book bans have escalated for 18 months now, hitting an all-time high in December 2022.

Since June 2021, PEN America, a free speech advocacy organization that tracks bans, has recorded more than 4,000 book challenges and bans in school districts.

The actual number is estimated to be even higher because PEN America relies on media reports, publicly available documents, and school district meeting minutes to track bans.

Book bans have impacted a wide range of topics, from titles about LGBTQ+ characters, to books on sexual health, to books featuring themes of race and racism.

Here’s a visual representation of book bans, from June 2021 to December 2022, based on PEN America data:

How many books have been banned?

Book bans reached an all-time high during the fall of 2022. But since 2021, PEN America has tracked more than 1,000 instances of book challenges and bans during each six-month period.

What is the No. 1 most banned book?

Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, is the most banned book over the last 18 months. The graphic memoir both written and illustrated by Kobabe chronicles the author’s life from adolescence to adulthood, detailing their experiences with their gender and sexual identity.

It has been banned 56 times in 18 months.

What is the No. 1 reason books get banned?

Books are frequently challenged for having inappropriate or sexual content, according to PEN America. In 2021 and the first half of 2022, more than 41 percent of banned books were about LGBTQ+ characters or stories. That changed in the latter part of 2022, with most banned books being about sexual experiences, violence, or sexual health.

However, many books about gender and sexual identity that chronicle LGBTQ+ experiences fall under these categories too.

Where do books get removed from?

Books predominantly get removed from school libraries, with only a small percentage of book bans impacting classrooms specifically. Most books are removed pending investigation, meaning that a book is removed whenever there’s a challenge for review.

Many of these books are removed from student access before due process of any kind is carried out, according to PEN America. In some cases, books can also be removed without challenges for review. These books often end up being unavailable for weeks or months.

Where are book bans happening?

Most book bans are happening in Texas and Florida, according to PEN America. Over the past year, Texas has seen more than 1,200 book challenges, and Florida more than 900. In some cases, state laws are responsible for causing districts to remove books to err on the side of caution, the report found. In other cases, districts are removing hundreds of titles for review.

Book bans have been recorded in at least 32 states.

Related Tags:

Events

Jobs Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff
Find teaching jobs and other jobs in K-12 education at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
Ed-Tech Policy Webinar Artificial Intelligence in Practice: Building a Roadmap for AI Use in Schools
AI in education: game-changer or classroom chaos? Join our webinar & learn how to navigate this evolving tech responsibly.
Education Webinar Developing and Executing Impactful Research Campaigns to Fuel Your Ed Marketing Strategy 
Develop impactful research campaigns to fuel your marketing. Join the EdWeek Research Center for a webinar with actionable take-aways for companies who sell to K-12 districts.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Reading & Literacy Applying the 'Science of Reading': 3 State Leaders on Putting Policy Into Practice
Officials discussed how their states have attempted a multifaceted approach to reading improvement.
4 min read
Katie Jenner, Indiana Secretary of Education, speaks during a presentation of the proposed state spending plan during an announcement in Indianapolis on Jan. 4, 2023.
Indiana Secretary of Education Katie Jenner speaks about a proposed state spending plan on Jan. 4, 2023, in Indianapolis. Indiana tracks students' 3rd grade reading progress and the tools and supports districts are deploying.
Michael Conroy/AP
Reading & Literacy How One District Moved to a 'Knowledge-Building' Curriculum: 3 Key Takeaways
Don't expect teachers to be experts in every subject, and make sure to address comprehension strategies, too, say district leaders.
4 min read
First grade students illustrate a story they wrote together in Megan Gose’s classroom at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
First grade students illustrate a story they wrote together in Megan Gose’s classroom at Moorsbridge Elementary School in Portage, Mich., on Nov. 29, 2023.
Emily Elconin for Education Week
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Reading & Literacy Quiz
Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Foundational Reading Skills?
Answer 9 questions about foundational reading skills.
Content provided by WordFlight
Reading & Literacy Opinion How to Help Students With Their Writing. 4 Educators Share Their Secrets
In many classrooms, students are handcuffed by restrictive templates for assignments instead of getting to practice how to create.
13 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
iStock/Getty