What to Know About Book Bans
In recent years, book banning has been in the headlines everywhere, but what exactly is book banning?
Kasey Meehan, the program director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read, defines a book ban as “any action taken against a book based on its content that leads to a previously accessible book being completely removed from availability for students or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.”
Since 2021, PEN America has recorded more than 16,000 book bans within America. Most bans are due to sexually explicit content, offensive language, or if the book is deemed unsuitable for younger audiences.
Genres of all kinds have had titles banned, including literary classics, science fiction, young adult books, and more. Controversially, many of these titles depict the stories of minority groups like the LGBTQ+ community and people of color. Often, this is seen as a form of discrimination and has caused outrage surrounding book banning.
The movement to ban books gained momentum from advocacy groups in Florida (such as Moms for Liberty). These groups pushed to extricate titles from schools deemed inappropriate for students. They were successful because of the support they garnered from political figures such as Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis.
Florida has banned more books than any other state. Many states have begun to do the same, causing a substantial surge in bans during the 2023-2024 school year. Over 10,000 books were banned just in that year.
President Trump has promised to support efforts to remove titles deemed unfit for the classroom throughout his presidency, leaving many worried that the number will continue to grow. However, many publishing houses and authors have taken legal action against these restrictions, claiming they violate free speech and promote discrimination. The outcomes could potentially affect how book banning progresses henceforth.
