Banned Books Week: Why Books are Challenged

During the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America tracked 1,477 instances of book bans, affecting 874 unique titles. The found that the bans mainly target books with LGBTQ+ themes, characters of color, and discussions of race and racism.

Key stats:

• 44% include themes or instances of violence & physical abuse 
• 38% cover topics on health and wellbeing for students
• 30% are books that include instances or themes of grief and death 
• 30% include characters of color or discuss race and racism 
• 26% present LGBTQ+ characters or themes 
• 24% detail sexual experiences between characters 
• 17% of books mention teen pregnancy, abortion, or sexual assault
   

"These categories are often overlapping; several content areas intersect in most books. Together, the content of banned books illuminates how the movement to censor books affects a diverse and varied set of identities, topics, concepts, and stories."

https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/