US schools banned 10,000 books last school year alone

Lauren Taylor

IT’S BANNED BOOKS WEEK FOR SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES NATIONWIDE.

STARTED IN 19-82 – THE YEARLY OBSERVANCE WAS CREATED IN RESPONSE TO A SUDDEN NATIONWIDE SURGE OF CHALLENGES TO BOOKS IN LIBRARIES, SCHOOLS, AND BOOKSTORES.

IN RECENT YEARS – BOOK BANNING HAS ONCE AGAIN BECOME A HOT TOPIC IN THE U-S…

WITH MORE THAN 10-THOUSAND BOOKS BANNED IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS BETWEEN 20-23 AND 20-24 ALONE, ACCORDING TO A NEW SURVEY FROM PEN AMERICA.

THAT’S ALMOST TRIPLE THE NUMBER OF BOOKS THAT WERE BANNED BETWEEN 20-22 AND 20-23.

PEN AMERICA SAYS ABOUT 8,000 OF THE BOOKS BANNED LAST SCHOOL YEAR WERE IN FLORIDA AND IOWA – TWO STATES THAT RECENTLY PUT IN PLACE LAWS TARGETING CLASSROOM MATERIAL, IN PARTICULAR. 

MEANWHILE, THE AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION SAYS, SO FAR IN 20-24 – IT’S SEEN A SIGNIFICANT DROP IN THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT BOOKS STOCKED IN PUBLIC, SCHOOL, AND ACADEMIC LIBRARIES.

DURING THE FIRST EIGHT MONTHS OF THIS YEAR… THE A-L-A RECORDED 414 CHALLENGES…

WITH JUST OVER 1,128 TITLES CALLED INTO QUESTION.

DURING THE SAME TIE *LAST* YEAR… IT RECORDED 695 CASES…

INVOLVING 1,915 BOOKS. 

BOTH THE A-L-A AND PEN AMERICA SAY *MOST* OF THE BOOKS TARGETED HAVE RACIAL AND/OR L-G-B-T-Q-I-A-PLUS THEMES.