A profound paradigm shift has changed the politics of book banning in the United States. Previously, book banning was primarily initiated by concerned parents as individuals or as advocates with school boards. Today, book banning is primarily the work of highly organized political groups and governmental agencies.
According to data compiled by the American Library Association and PEN America, censorship efforts in the United States reached historic levels in 2025 and 2026. The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom reported that 4,235 unique book titles were challenged in 2025, the second-highest number ever recorded, while 5,668 books were formally banned from libraries.
PEN America likewise found that there were 6,870 instances of school book bans during the 2024–2025 school year across 23 states and 87 school districts. Since 2021, PEN America estimates that nearly 23,000 school book bans have occurred nationwide, illustrating the rapid expansion of censorship campaigns in public education.
Censorship driven by governmental agencies and organized politics
The ALA reported that 92 percent of all book challenges in 2025 were initiated by organized groups or officials, a significant increase from 72 percent in 2024. Altogether, pressure groups targeted 7,884 titles in 2025 alone, compared with an annual average of only 46 titles challenged per year between 2001 and 2020.
Fewer than 3% of 2025 challenges originated from individual parents.
Together, these statistics demonstrate that book banning in the United States has evolved from isolated local disputes into a coordinated national movement affecting libraries, schools, educators and readers across the country.
The targets have also diversified. While books featuring LGBTQ+ characters and themes of race or social justice remain the most challenged categories—representing 40% of all separately challenged titles in 2025—the movement has expanded significantly into nonfiction. Restricted works now commonly include: civil rights struggles; Indigenous history; Holocaust education; political activism; Scientific information; sexuality education; and Military and civic history (notably, almost 400 books were purged from Naval Academy library collections in 2025).
The legislative landscape
The political movement to ban books has gained significant legislative reinforcement. States including Florida, Texas, Iowa, Utah and Alabama have enacted or expanded laws that increase state oversight of library collections and school curricula.
Crucially, PEN America found that 97% of bans in the 2024–25 school year were not directly mandated by law—they arose from fear of being out of compliance. Schools preemptively removed books to avoid legal or financial penalties, creating a chilling effect far broader than any statute alone could produce—a form of what is euphemistically called “self censorship.”
The legal battleground
In December 2025, the Supreme Court declined to hear Little v. Llano County, leaving in place a Fifth Circuit ruling that library book selections constitute “government speech” and are therefore not subject to First Amendment free-speech protections. The decision effectively gave state and local governments in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas broad authority to determine what library materials residents may access—rights that citizens in other states retain.
The result is a fractured legal landscape where a student’s right to read a particular book depends largely on their ZIP code—precisely the outcome the First Amendment’s uniformity was intended to prevent.
The defense of intellectual freedom
Opponents of these bans—including librarians, students, educators, advocacy groups, and major publishers—argue that these restrictions undermine democratic principles and create a climate of fear throughout the educational system.
Their responses have taken a few different forms. The first is increasing public awareness: Banned Books Week 2026 (Oct. 4–10), themed “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read,” continues to mobilize readers, educators, and communities nationwide, for example.
The second is student advocacy. Students are increasingly organizing—distributing challenged titles, speaking at school board meetings, and filing lawsuits—to protect their right to a diverse, factual education.
A question of control
This battle of the books is about who will control the narrative of what it means to be a true citizen of the United States of America. Will there be honest tellings of the many stories that make up America and show why people come here and dream of coming here? Or, will the government and those with power and money decide what stories are available to our children?
As a member of PEN International, I am committed to freedom of expression and freedom of inquiry. I work for the freedom to read, think, write, and publish. Science and civilization and the human spirit are nourished by these freedoms.
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May 2026 © nicholas.patricca@gmail.com
Nick Patricca is professor emeritus at Loyola University Chicago; member of PEN International San Miguel PEN Centre, MX; active member of the Dramatists Guild of America.