Democratic-leaning states’ increasing efforts to prevent school districts from removing books from library shelves come as book bans hit a record high in the 2023-24 school year, tripling from the previous year.
A November report by Pen America, a free speech advocacy organization tracking the issue, found 10,046 cases of banned books in 2023-24 compared to 3,362 in the prior school year. The most commonly targeted books were those featuring characters of color or LGBTQ+ characters, as well as those referencing sex or sex-related topics, according to the organization.
Republican-leaning states Florida and Iowa saw the highest number of book bans in 2023-24, Pen America found. Since July 2021, Pen America has recorded nearly 16,000 book bans across 43 states and 415 school districts.
