News and analysis examining ongoing efforts to ban books in the US
October 2026
US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000
Texas tops list with 8,100 bans while Stephen King is again most banned author, PEN America finds
September 2026
Building power
No more book bans: how Florida students are pushing rightwingers out of school boards
US public libraries at ‘breaking point’ amid ideological attacks, report finds
July 2026
Utah bans Stephen King novella collection from public schools
Different Seasons, which incudes stories that inspired films such as Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption, judged to contain ‘objective sensitive material’
May 2026
‘They’re trying to narrow the worldview of young people’: how book bans are on the rise in the US
Report shows banned non-fiction books doubled over last school year in US
April 2026
Iowa can restrict LGBTQ+ books and topics at schools, appellate court rules
Ruling, vacating lower court’s temporary block, applies to classrooms and libraries up to sixth grade
December 2025
The Filter US
A mildly subversive gift guide: 10 banned books for curious and rebellious US readers
This holiday season, gift the defiant reader in your life a banned book by Toni Morrison, Alice Walker and others
October 2025
Stephen King is the most banned author in US schools, according to report
During the 2024-2025 school year, there were more then 6,800 instances of books being pulled, led by the horror author
August 2025
‘State-driven censorship’: new wave of book bans hits Florida school districts
Hundreds of titles are being pulled from library and classroom shelves in the Republican-dominated state
July 2025
‘Chipping away at democracy’: authors fear outcome of US supreme court’s LGBTQ+ book ruling
Some parents can now opt students out of LGBTQ+ book readings. The writers warn of increased book bans and bias
April 2025
Students at Pentagon schools sue Hegseth over book bans on race and gender
Being a librarian was already hard. Then came the Trump administration
US Naval Academy removes 400 books from library in anti-diversity purge
Rightwing groups across US push new bans to limit ‘obscene’ books in libraries
March 2025
Alabama board defunds local library in first action under new book ban law
Move comes amid broader Republican-led culture war in US as Alabama cracks down on ‘sexually explicit’ content
February 2025
Most banned books feature people of color and LGBTQ+ people, report finds
Julianne Moore’s freckles? How Republican bans on ‘woke’ books have reached new level
Multi-level barrage of US book bans is ‘unprecedented’, says PEN America
ACLU sues on behalf of librarian fired after opposing book censorship effort
