If you do not like what someone has to say, gag them, shame them, ban them.  That is the new American way, and this includes books.  A new report from the literary and free expression advocacy group PEN America shows that book bans in the U.S. are rising.  Book bans in public schools rose by 33% in the last academic school year, with many efforts targeting titles perceived as “sexual” or “inappropriate”.

PEN America tracked more than 3,000 instances across 33 states. The organization found 63% of all book bans tracked in their report took place in eight states with laws that directly influence book bans or have had a chilling effect on educators. Those states are Florida, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, Oklahoma and West Virginia. The analysis found Florida had the highest number of book bans – more than 1,400 bans – compared with any other state. Texas, which had the most bans last year, had the second-highest number of book bans during the 2022-2023 school year with 625 instances.

More than 75% of the books targeted by bans were specifically written and selected for younger audiences, meaning they are labeled as young adult, middle grade, chapter and picture books.

Specifically, the report found 48 percent of titles banned in the last school year included themes or instances of violence and abuse, some of those including episodes of sexual assault. Forty-two percent of books banned covered health and well-being topics, including mental health or substance abuse; 33% detail sexual experiences between characters, 30% include characters of color or discuss race and racism, and 30% have LGBTQ characters or themes.  (source)