A new report from the advocacy group PEN America has found in the first half of this school year, there have been more than 4,300 instances of book bans, more than the entirety of the 2022-23 academic year.
So far this year, the instances of book bans (4,349) have far outpaced what was seen in 2022-23, when there was a then-record of almost 1,500 bans.
Sabrina Baêta, Freedom to Read program manager at PEN America and a lead author of the report, shared that this report should be seen as a concern.
“For anyone who cares about the bedrock of American values and the protection of free expression, this report should be a red alert,” Baêta said.
Bans were found to have occurred in 23 states and at 52 school districts from July to December, according to the report.
The books that were the main focus of the ban included topics of racism and LGBTQ individuals and focused on rape, sexual violence, and women, the report noted.
“Book bans are targeting narratives about race and sexual identities and sexual content writ large, and they show no sign of stopping. The bans we’re seeing are broad, harsh, and pernicious — and they’re undermining the education of millions of students across the country,” Baêta said.
Going back to July 2021 through December 2023, PEN America says it has recorded more than 10,000 instances of book bans.
Among the leaders in book bans was Florida, which the report said has had more than 3,000 instances of restricting literature.
The group defines a school book ban as action taken against a book from either the community or administrators, which leads to a book being removed entirely or restricted when it was once available.