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Sunday, September 24th, 2023

Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor

Author:     Kasey Meehan, Jonathan Friedman, Sabrina Baeta, and Tasslyn Magnusson
Source:     PEN America
Publication Date:     24 September 2023 (used)
 Link: Banned in the USA: The Mounting Pressure to Censor
Stephan:  

States, both Red and Blue, are having their libraries attacked by hysterical semi-literate White people, mostly women, who seek to purge their libraries of books they often haven’t read, nor seem to understand. There is a growing anti-intellectualism in the United States that is doing massive damage to libraries, once seen as cherished sources of self–improvement. You can stop this nonsense. Go to whatever organization controls the libraries in your schools and community and register your support for them, and your objection to censorship.

Introduction

The freedom to read is under assault in the United States—particularly in public schools—curtailing students’ freedom to explore words, ideas, and books. In the 2022–23 school year, from July 1, 2022, to June 31, 2023, PEN America recorded 3,362 instances of book bans in US public school classrooms and libraries. These bans removed student access to 1,557 unique book titles, the works of over 1,480 authors, illustrators, and translators. Authors whose books are targeted are most frequently female, people of color, and/or LGBTQ+ individuals. Amid a growing climate of censorship, school book bans continue to spread through coordinated campaigns by a vocal minority of groups and individual actors and, increasingly, as a result of pressure from state legislation.

Key Findings

  1. Book bans in public K–12 schools continue to intensify. In the 2022–23 school year, PEN America recorded 3,362 instances of books banned, an increase of 33 percent from the 2021–22 school year. 
  2. Over 40 percent of all book bans occurred in school districts in Florida. Across 33 school districts, PEN America recorded 1,406 book ban cases […]
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