Book banning in the United States (2021–present)

In fall 2021, the American Library Association (ALA) received 330 reports of book challenges, a rate which it called "unprecedented", but also an undercount because the ALA estimates 82–97% of challenges are not reported. Also in April, the ALA published its annual report on book censorship, finding that there were 729 attempts to remove school, university and library materials in 2021, resulting in 1,597 book challenges or removals. This is the highest number of removals and challenges of books that the ALA has recorded in a single year since the organization began tracking book removal requests more than 20 years ago. Most of the books have to do with race, sex, sexual orientation, and gender. Parents, teachers, students, and other stakeholders commonly express concerns over the works students read in schools. Typically, the process of challenging a book's inclusion in curricula or in libraries involves the parties reading the book, debating its appropriateness, and making a decision at the level of a teacher, class, school, or district. The spate of challenges and bans in 2021–22 differ from the norm in number as well as the tactics and politics involved. Conservative organizations, activists, and politicians have driven many of the challenges, and they have operated through higher-level political processes than usual, proposing legislation and petitioning lawmakers rather than just teachers or local school boards. The involvement of national advocacy groups also sets the 2021–22 trend apart from book challenges of the past. Organizations like No Left Turn in Education and Parents Defending Education operate nationally, with connections to wealthy conservative donors and organizations, but provide resources, connections, and sophisticated strategy to grow, support, and mobilize local parent groups. According to NBC News, as of June 2021, there were "at least 165 local and national groups that aim to disrupt lessons on race and gender". The strategy of distributing lists has meant that many challenges come from people who have not actually read the books they argue to remove. NBC News reported that while these groups operate differently, "they share strategies of disruption, publicity and mobilization. The groups swarm school board meetings, inundate districts with time-consuming public records requests and file lawsuits and federal complaints alleging discrimination against white students." Legislation was introduced or passed in at least 29 states taking aim at lessons that teach children about race and inequality, with most of the laws framed around putting a stop to "critical race theory". For example, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas is about a black girl from a poor neighborhood who attends an elite, predominantly white private school and becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer kill her childhood friend. It has been among the most challenged books primarily because it contains profanity. In late 2022 and early 2023, efforts escalated into proposals by public officials in several states to close libraries or defund library systems that were seen as facilitating the availability of objected books. A 2023 analysis by The Washington Post found that a majority of book challenges in over 100 school districts from the 2021–2022 school year were filed by just 11 people. Based on a survey by PEN, about 10,000 books were banned from US schools by Republican-led censorship laws in the 2023/2024 academic year. This was nearly triple the amount of the previous academic year, which had also seen a record level of bans. On January 24, 2025, the Trump Department of Education made a press release stating that they had ended "Biden's Book Ban Hoax" and that the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights had dismissed 11 cases regarding challenged books in schools. They also eliminated the position of the book ban coordinator responsible for investigating school districts accused of censorship. == Reactions ==

, 2022 Free speech advocates, academics, journalists, and other critics have characterized the campaigns as part of a larger effort to use politics and legislation at the local and state level to impose on education an ideologically skewed version of the United States, its history, and its culture. The Takeaway's Melissa Harris-Perry cited discomfort with issues like gender identity as one of the common reasons for challenges, but that "this discomfort is likely imposed by adults onto young learners" who are otherwise more accepting and more likely to think outside traditional gender roles. Shauntee Burns-Simpson of the New York Public Library highlighted the issue of taking one page or one quote from a book without context and making a decision about the value of a book based on an initial reaction to that quote. Their message condemned "a few organizations [which] have advanced the proposition that the voices of the marginalized have no place on library shelves... falsely claiming that these works are subversive, immoral, or worse [and inducing] officials to abandon constitutional principles, ignore the rule of law, and disregard individual rights to promote government censorship of library collections". A spokesperson told ABC News that in her time working with reports of book challenges, she had "never seen such a widespread effort to remove books on racial and gender diversity". At a White House event honoring educators on April 24, 2023, President Joe Biden commented, "I never thought I'd be a president who is fighting against elected officials trying to ban and banning books. Empty shelves don't help kids learn very much. And I've never met a parent who wants a politician dictating what their kid can learn, and what they can think, or who they can be." In June 2023, the Biden administration announced Biden appointed a coordinator at the U.S. Department of Education to address the rise in book bans. The coordinator will train and advise school districts on how book restrictions may violate federal civil rights laws by creating hostile environments for students. Illinois enacted the nation's first state law to restrict the ability of local libraries to enact book bans. The law withholds state funding from any library that bans books for "partisan or doctrinal" reasons. It makes mandatory the Library Bill of Rights published by the American Library Association. Governor J. B. Pritzker signed the law on June 12, 2023, and it took effect at the start of the following year. A number of authors whose works were banned spoke out. Some saw it as a badge of honor, while others found it distressing. Kalynn Bayron, author of Cinderella Is Dead, said "these things speak to the level of bigotry that still exists, specifically within our public education system". University of Chicago history professor Ada Palmer said that the main goal of censorship throughout history has not been "to silence or destroy books or works that already exist [but] to frighten people and discourage them from reading, buying and creating similar works in the future". In Belton, Texas, one middle school librarian went viral on TikTok after posting a video about being told to take down her banned book display after receiving complaints from parents. The video sparked protests at the school board and corresponding backlash from students defending the librarian. "It's not about taking away a [parent’s] autonomy," said the librarian in her first video. "Your kid definitely does not have to read those books. However, this is an opportunity to bring awareness, information and knowledge to kids when they might not otherwise have it." Although social media users post on both sides of the argument, platforms are generally more effective for those against censorship because they allow students to easily share their personal experiences with banned books in schools. Several commentators argued it is hypocritical for conservative pundits and politicians to support banning books that may make students feel uncomfortable after a period of strongly criticizing "cancel culture". Adam Szetela of Newsweek opined that both the right and the left are "guilty" of banning books, citing the ban of To Kill a Mockingbird in California schools, Dr. Seuss' books being pulled from libraries and bookstores, and videos of liberals burning Harry Potter books. Angela Haupt of The Washington Post also noted efforts by Democratic politicians and liberal parents to ban books for containing racist language, racial slurs and "white savior" characters, including Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, To Kill a Mockingbird and Of Mice and Men. Katherine Mangu-Ward of Reason noted that the ALA's list of challenged and banned books "suggests book banners lean right—with an increasing emphasis on books with queer themes or characters, for example—though book challenges come from across the spectrum of political opinion and aesthetic preference.", but added that "It's debatable whether the list's bias is an artifact of the collectors' concerns or simply a reflection of an underlying reality." Kyle Smith of National Review accused the media of a double standard when labeling the removal of Maus from the McMinn County, Tennessee school curriculum by the school board as a "ban", while not using the same label for when To Kill a Mockingbird was removed from required curriculum by a school board in Washington State. Organizations and programs opposing book censorship • Books Unbanned, a United States library program that gives electronic access to the library in locations where books are being challenged • The Banned Book Club, an online resource that allows readers to check out books banned by local libraries • Queer Liberation Library, is an LGBT digital library that aims to provide resources representing LGBT communities that is accessible to those living in areas where physical access to LGBT books is limited • Freedom to Read Foundation, a non-profit anti-censorship organization that has been active in First Amendment-based challenges to book removals from libraries • Moon Palace Books, a Minneapolis local bookstore partnering with Iowa anti-censorship organization Annie's Foundation to send banned books to Iowa. • Brooklyn Public Library offers a free library card to check out ebooks as part of their Books Unbanned initiative. • Quatrefoil Library, an independent nonprofit LGBTQ library in Minneapolis, offers free library cards to anyone in the world. • is a coalition initiated by the American Library Association. In 2024 it organised a book tour with banned author Jodi Picoult to oppose censorship. • New York Public Library organises a Teen Banned Book Club. • First Amendment Center, a non-profit organization that wants to protect to first amendment through information and education. Is an operating program of the Freedom Forum. • National Coalition Against Censorship, works to protect free expression and access to information by providing educational resources documenting and reporting on current censorship issues, and working to influence judicial opinions about free expression and access to information by submitting amici briefs. • Office for Intellectual Freedom, established in 1967 through the American Library Association, charge with implementing ALA policies concerning the concept of intellectual freedom as embodied in the Library Bill of Rights. • International Literacy Association (ILA), membership organization, advocators for children's rights to read and to excellent literacy instruction. == Notable cases and laws ==

Central York School District, Pennsylvania In August 2020, a diversity committee in the school district for central York County, Pennsylvania, created a reading list for students and community members amid the George Floyd protests. Though it was intended as a guide for students to learn about issues of race, diversity, and culture, the school board used it as a list of books to remove, voting to "freeze" them a few months later. As described by The New York Times, some parents objected to material that would "make white children feel guilty about their race or 'indoctrinate' students". Students protested, wearing black t-shirts, advocating on social media, and picketing daily before school started. Texas House Bill 3979 The Texas Legislature passed House Bill 3979 in July 2021. Known as Texas's "critical race theory law", after an academic field which became a common objection for conservatives, it restricts the manner and extent to which students may learn about or discuss race, racism, sex, or sexism, or the role of those concepts in American culture and history. The law, and confusion over how to enforce it, led to many book challenges. In October 2021, Texas Representative Matt Krause distributed a list to Texas school superintendents containing 850 books having to do with race, sexuality, and history which might "make students feel discomfort". Krause wanted to know which school districts had the books and how much was spent on them. The list included a wide range of fiction and non-fiction bestsellers and award-winners like The Confessions of Nat Turner by William Styron, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates, and Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women that a Movement Forgot by Mikki Kendall. Authors on the list reacted with a mix of outrage and pride. The president of the Texas State Teachers Association called it a "witch hunt" and a "disturbing and political overreach into the classroom" which raises legal concerns. After receiving national attention, a review committee decided to reinstate the book and reschedule Craft's event. In November 2021, Governor Greg Abbott publicized his investigation into pornography and obscenity accessible to kids in school libraries. On January10, 2022, the board of trustees of McMinn County Schools in Tennessee removed Maus from its schools' curriculum, expressing concern over its use in 8th grade English Language Arts classes. The decision overruled a state curriculum review that had approved the book. The board cited "tough language" and "unnecessary" profanity (eight words, including "damn"), a small drawing of a (nude) cat representing a woman, and mentions of murder, violence, and suicide. The board questioned its age-appropriateness and whether it aligned with the values of the community. The removal attracted criticism and international media attention the day before Holocaust Remembrance Day. Spiegelman called the decision "Orwellian" and said reading the minutes of the board meeting indicated the board was effectively asking "Why can't they teach a nicer Holocaust?". Several elected officials, writers, journalists, librarians, and academics spoke out against it. A bookstore in Tennessee offered to give a free copy of The Complete Maus to any student who requested one, leading them to create a GoFundMe campaign to cover the demand. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the bill on March 28, 2022, and the act went into effect on July 1, 2022. Among other provisions, the law bans classroom discussion or instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation from kindergarten to third grade. From fourth to twelfth grade, the law restricts such discussion to what the state deems to be either "age appropriate or developmentally appropriate". However, in April 2023, the Florida Board of Education voted to expand the ban on classroom instruction on gender identity and sexual orientation to grades four through twelve, with exceptions for sex education lessons for which parents can opt-out and other explicit state requirements. In May 2023, Florida passed HB1069, which expanded the complete ban in statute to pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. These laws have led to school districts across the state removing books with LGBTQ content. In an attempt to follow the statute, Lake County School District restricted access to 40 books, most dealing with LGBTQ themes. Also citing the law, Seminole County removed three books with LGBTQ+ or gender-non-conforming characters – I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, Jacob’s New Dress by Ian Hoffman and Sarah Hoffman, and 10,000 Dresses by Marcus Ewert. Madison County Public Library System, Mississippi A mayor in Ridgeland, Mississippi denied $110,000 in funding to the Madison County Public Library System that had already been approved by the city's board of aldermen. His justification for doing so was the library's possession of books on LGBTQ+ topics. According to Tonja Jackson, the executive director of the library, the mayor declared that he would not release the funds until all of those books were removed, citing his personal religious beliefs. Jackson stated, "I explained that we are a public library and we serve the entire community. I told him our collection reflects the diversity of our community. He told me that the library can serve whoever we wanted, but that he only serves the great Lord above." Hamilton County School Board, Tennessee The school board of Hamilton County, Tennessee created a book-review committee with the intent to draft a policy regarding book selections in public school libraries and complaints of books already on shelves. This committee contained two representatives from each of the nine current Hamilton County school districts in which each member was invited to share their thoughts and views on the policy and how it should be changed. and it was agreed to be led by District 1 representative Rhonda Thurman. Thurman explained that her reasoning behind chairing the committee is because, "I’m just wanting to inform the public about what their tax dollars are paying for, what's in the libraries, the process". After several weeks of debate, the new policies, 4.402 and 4.403, were then presented to the Hamilton County School Board at its March17, 2022 meeting. The policy requires reported books to be evaluated on a balancing test of its offensiveness to its literary value. Those books whose offensive material outweighs its literary value will be removed from school library shelves. Iowa: GLBT Youth in Iowa Schools Task Force v. Reynolds and Penguin Random House v. Robbins (2023) In Iowa, Senate File 496 (SF496), prohibiting schools from providing books that include or describe sex acts, was introduced and passed by the Iowa Legislature in early 2023. Variously known as a "Don't Say Gay" law, and a "Parental Rights" law, the measure was signed into law by Iowa governor Kim Reynolds on May26 and some of its provisions went into effect on July1. A coalition of LGBT advocacy groups and families sued in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa in November 2023. Publisher Penguin Random House, four bestselling authors and educators filed a separate lawsuit that month. Judge Stephen H. Locher issued an injunction against some parts of the law on December29, 2023, calling the law "wildly overbroad". Louisiana Act 436 In Louisiana, Act 436 (formerly SB7) of the was signed into law by Democratic Governor John Bel Edwards in June 2023 and went into effect August 1, 2023. The law requires all public libraries in the state of Louisiana to "adopt a policy to limit the access of minors to sexual explicit material." Libraries throughout the state were given a deadline of June 1, 2024 to implement new policies, with failure to do so resulting in the state withholding payments for library maintenance and upkeep and the State Bond Commission being forbidden to approve financial packages for library construction projects. The Act specifically requires that a new library card system be created that require parents or guardians to select whether minors are allowed to check out materials deemed sexually explicit by the library board of control. Act 436 defines sexually explicit material as "textual, visual, or audio material, produced in any medium, that depicts or describes sexual conduct. The local library board of control makes the final decision on what falls under that category. Idaho House Bill 710 Idaho HB710, signed into law in April 2024, requires school and public libraries to move materials deemed harmful to minors to an adults-only section, allowing community members who object to a book to sue for $250 in damages. The law uses Idaho's existing definition of obscene materials, which includes “any act of … homosexuality.” The Idaho Library Association warned the law's definitions of material harmful to minors was vague and subjective. In February 2025, Penguin Random House filed a lawsuit along with several other publishers, a library district, the Authors Guild, a teacher, students, and parents, saying the law is overly vague and violates the First Amendment. The suit argues libraries are forced to preemptively remove books due to inability to afford defense costs in the case of a lawsuit. In May 2024, a library too small to create an adults-only section barred minors from entering unless a parent or guardian had completed a complex, three-part waiver. == See also ==