More than 3,700 unique books were banned during the 2024-2025 school year, more than double the titles tracked in the 2021-2022 school year, when PEN America began counting.
The nonprofit organization, dedicated to defending freedom of expression, found a total of 6,870 book bans from 2024 to 2025. Their “Banning in the United States” report states that book banning is “rampant and common” and warns that it is becoming “normalized.”
But what does banning a book actually mean? How does it happen? USA TODAY’s Banned Books Week answers your questions.
What is a banned book?
The American Library Association is a founding member of the Banned Books Week Coalition, which tracks book issues, or efforts to remove or restrict materials, as well as book bans, or the actual removal of these titles from public spaces. PEN America, one of this week’s sponsors, defines a book ban as any action taken against a title based on its content.
Kasey Meehan, director of Freedom to Read at PEN America, says the guiding principle is access. Regardless of the time spent away from the bookshelf, the ability to read the book is limited or diminished.
“For us, a book ban means that a book that was previously available to students is no longer available based on its content,” Meehan said.
This can occur due to challenges from community members or outside groups, pressure from elected officials, or legislation from the state. Books were prohibited from being sold in school libraries, classroom curricula, classroom libraries, and public libraries.
Some argue that if books are removed from schools, students can instead obtain them from bookstores, online retailers, or other libraries. But Meehan says there are still barriers.
“Schools and school libraries play an important role in providing students with access to literature. Not all students can just buy books on Amazon. Not all students can walk, bike, or even drive to their local public library,” Meehan said. “Restricting that access will not only ban the books, it will only hurt students’ access to information.”
Is it legal to ban a book?
“The law is very shaky,” says Lauren Zimmerman, a lawyer representing the authors of the children’s book “And It Takes Three” in a lawsuit against the Florida district that removed the book.
“America doesn’t have a large, well-developed history of removing books from school libraries and schools,” Zimmerman said. “Nothing is fully developed, nothing is black and white, and that’s what’s happening right now. That’s why it’s so important that people pay attention, because the laws around this – what’s legal, what’s illegal, and when you can and can’t take down books – are being decided across the country right now.”
In some cases, lawyers have argued that banning books featuring LGBTQ+ characters amounts to viewpoint discrimination, Zimmerman said. In other cases, judges have ruled that school libraries are “First Amendment free zones” and that these protections do not apply to them.
How does a book get banned?
We’ll use the example of “And Tango Makes Three” in Escambia County, Florida. Published in 2005, this picture book tells the true story of two male penguins, Roy and Silo, who start a family together after a Central Park zookeeper gives them eggs to care for.
1. Try a book
Book objections are often filed to challenge its content. In the case of “Tango,” the charges were “an LGBTQ agenda using penguins” for the purpose of “indoctrination.”
The award-winning book “Tango” has been on library shelves since 2005. The book was challenged after Ron DeSantis’ Parents’ Rights in Education Act (which opponents called the “Don’t Tell Me I’m Gay” law) was signed into law in 2022 as the Curriculum Transparency Act. Part of the law required school districts to catalog all books available in libraries and classrooms for formal review and complaint processing.
2. Voting by the Committee
Several committees will participate. First is a committee made up of educators, librarians, parents, and community members, and then the district materials committee. In the case of “Tango,” both committees voted to keep the book on the shelf.
Florida’s Sunshine Law requires such decisions to be made in public hearings so that local residents can have their voices heard.
3. If you have an objection, go to the Board of Education.
The challenger appealed the district materials committee’s decision and took “Tango” to the school board, Zimmerman said. Unlike a board, a school board is made up of elected officials. At a public hearing, the Board of Education resolved to delete “Tango.”
4. The book is removed and the author takes action (in some cases)
“Tango” has been removed from school shelves in several districts in Florida. Here, Zimmerman appeared on behalf of writers Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. In general, options for banned authors are limited and expensive, Zimmerman said.
The “Tango” case in Escambia County is ongoing. However, another case in Nassau County was settled in 2024, and “Tango” returned to store shelves. The plaintiffs alleged that the school district illegally removed “Tango” without a public hearing or community input.
What books are prohibited?
Books that feature LGBTQ+ characters and characters, as well as characters and characters of color, are disproportionately affected by book bans. Commonly censored books deal with themes of race, sexuality, gender identity, substance abuse, suicide, depression, and other mental health issues.
According to the PEN America report, the top banned books include Anthony Burgess’ A Clockwork Orange, Jennifer Niven’s Breathless and Patricia McCormick’s Sordo. Frequently banned books, such as Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer: A Memoir” and George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” are not included in this year’s report because they rarely remain on store shelves once they are banned, Meehan said.
Meehan said this year’s report had “expanded” its scope, with more books featuring a “wider range of sexual experiences” including sexual violence.
Who is objecting to or banning books?
According to PEN America, most book bans occurred in Florida (2,304), Texas (1,781) and Tennessee (1,622). There were 590 bans issued by the Department of Defense.
A 2025 ALA analysis found that 16% of concerns raised about books were by parents, with most complaints filed by “pressure groups” and government agencies.
A 2024 Knight Foundation poll found that two-thirds of Americans oppose efforts to limit books in public schools. Additionally, 78% of adults surveyed are confident that their school will select the right books for their students.
Contributor: Sara Chernikoff, USA TODAY. Douglas Soule, USA TODAY Network
Claire Mulroy is USA TODAY’s books reporter, covering hot releases, chatting with authors, and diving into reading culture. please find her on instagramsubscribe to our weekly magazine book newsletter Or tell her what you’re reading cmulroy@usatoday.com.
