PEN Report Shows State Legislation ‘Supercharging’ Book Bans

The report, Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools, expands on two previous PENSupported by eminent writers, this is the English branch of International Pen, which has centres in nearly 100 countries. It fights for freedom of expression and against political censorship. It campaigns for writers harassed, imprisoned and sometimes murdered for their views. http://www.englishpen.org/ America reports tracking the intensifying wave of book bans and laws aimed at limiting access to school and library books. Since July 2021, when PEN America began tracking public school book bans, the organization recorded more than 4,000 bans books through December 2022, including 1,477 individual book bans affecting 874 unique titles during the first half of the 2022-23 school year-a 28% increase over the previous six months.

Another new trend highlighted in the report: the mischaracterization of books as "pornographic" or "indecent." The reports notes that "alarmist rhetoric" from right wing activists and politicians about "porn in schools" has been a significant factor driving book bans and legislative action.