Number of Books Banned By Schools In Each US State: Including Most Banned Books & Authors

 

Map comes from PEN AmericaThe map above comes from from PEN America, which tracks book bans and fights censorship in public schools and libraries across the country.

Here’s how they defined a ban:

PEN America defines a school book ban as any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished, either temporarily or permanently.

Most Commonly Banned Books

1. Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
2. Looking for Alaska by John Green
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
4. Sold by Patricia McCormick
5. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
7. Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
9. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
10. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
11. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
12. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
13. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
14. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
15. A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas
16. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
17. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
19. A Court of Frost and Starlight by Sarah J. Maas

The Most Commonly Banned Authors

	Total instances of book bans	Number of unique titles by an author affected by book bans
Ellen Hopkins	523	19
Sarah J. Maas	481	22
Stephen King	173	74
Jodi Picoult	161	22
John Green	157	8
Colleen Hoover	147	24
Margaret Atwood	125	9
Toni Morrison	116	5
Lauren Myracle	108	10

Other Findings

• PEN America recorded 10,046 instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year.
• In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America counted book bans in 29 states and 220 public school districts, with Florida and Iowa leading in number of bans.
• Of the most commonly banned books in the 2023-2024 school year, 44% featured people and characters of color and 39% featured LGBTQ+ people and characters.
• Nearly 60% of these banned titles are written for young adult audiences, and depict topics young people confront in the real world, including grief and death, experiences with substance abuse, suicide, depression and mental health concerns, and sexual violence.

You can read the full report here.

Who are Pen America?

PEN America stands at the intersection of literature and human rights to protect free expression in the United States and worldwide. We champion the freedom to write, recognizing the power of the word to transform the world. Our mission is to unite writers and their allies to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible.

Founded in 1922, PEN America is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America works to ensure that people everywhere have the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, to express their views, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others. Our strength is our Membership—a nationwide community of more than 4,500 novelists, journalists, nonfiction writers, editors, poets, essayists, playwrights, publishers, translators, agents, and other writing professionals, as well as devoted readers and supporters who join with them to carry out PEN America’s mission.

Do you think schools should or should not ban books?