After years of culture war battles in school and public libraries, the campaign by conservative-leaning “parent rights” groups has succeeded in casting a nationwide chill over the market for children’s books they deem inappropriate, greatly diminishing sales and opportunities for authors to promote their work.
During the 2023-24 school year, there were more than 10,000 book bans in public schools — a 200% rise over the previous year. The books overwhelmingly included LGBTQ+ themes and characters of color, according to PEN America. Many of the same books are banned over and over across the country, through coordinated efforts by groups that share lists of titles among their members, including picture and board books for preschool children.
