PEN America Report: Book Bans Fueled by Political Groups
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Organized political groups are driving the book-censorship movement in America, according to a new report by PEN America. Of the 1,648 titles censored over the 2021-2022 school year, the vast majority feature LGBTQ+ characters (41 percent) and characters of color (40 percent).
“What started as modest school-level activity to challenge and remove books in schools grew into a full-fledged social and political movement, powered by local, state, and national groups,” said PEN America. It has identified at least 50 groups involved in pushing for book bans at the national, state, or local levels. Of those 50 groups, eight have local or regional chapters.
The role of organized groups is different from previous book-ban trends that originated locally and spontaneously by individual parents. Today, the groups behind the bans provide materials, directions, and other means of support to sustain the movement. “Groups that enjoy political ties and advocacy resources are able to marshal political support behind their censorious campaigns, putting local teachers, administrators, and school board officials under pressure,” said PEN America.
“Banned in the USA” Report
PEN America published the report, “Banned in the USA: Rising School Book Bans Threaten Free Expression and Students’ First Amendment Rights,” in April 2022. From July 2021 to June 2022, there were 2,532 instances of individual books being banned, affecting 1,648 book titles.
Here are some of the highlights of the report:
Among the 1,648 unique titles:
674 titles (41 percent) explicitly address LGBTQ+ themes or have protagonists or prominent secondary characters who are LGBTQ+
659 titles (40 percent) contain protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color;
338 titles (21 percent) directly address issues of race and racism;
357 titles (22 percent) contain sexual content of varying kinds, including novels with some level of description of sexual experiences of teenagers, stories about teen pregnancy, sexual assault and abortion as well as informational books about puberty, sex, or relationships;
161 titles (10 percent) have themes related to rights and activism;
141 titles (9 percent) are either biography, autobiography, or memoir; and
64 titles (4 percent) include characters and stories that reflect religious minorities, such as Jewish, Muslim, and other faith traditions.
PEN America, founded in 1922, is the largest of the more than 100 centers worldwide that make up the PEN International network. PEN America advocates for the freedom to create literature, to convey information and ideas, and to access the views, ideas, and literatures of others.
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