School book bans have increased 33% since last year, but hope is not lost

Despite growing lawsuits and protests against book restrictions, bans continue to spread rapidly, according to a new report. But students are providing a glimmer of hope.

PEN America’s annual report on book bans, released Thursday, revealed a significant ramp-up in the practice during the 2022–23 school year. Between July 1, 2022, and June 31, 2023, the national freedom-of-speech organization recorded 3,362 instances of book bans in US public school classrooms and libraries — an increase of 33% compared to the same period last year.

“The toll of the book banning movement is getting worse,” said Suzanne Nossel, chief executive of PEN America, in a statement obtained by The Times. “More kids are losing access to books, more libraries are taking authors off the shelves, and opponents of free expression are pushing harder than ever to exert their power over students as a whole.” The bans, she continued, “are eating away at the foundations of our democracy.”

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