"Five Years of Banned Books Data and What Do We Know?

A look at the most banned authors across these five years, the most targeted books, and the actual ages and publication dates. Spoiler: they're NOT new books.

That, plus this week's lengthy book censorship news." -- Kelly Jensen

#USPolitics #Libraries #BookBans #Censorship #FreedomToRead @bookstodon

https://bookriot.com/5-years-of-book-ban-data/

Five Years of Banned Books Data and What Do We Know?: Book Censorship News, May 15, 2026

With five years of book ban data, what do we know about the most banned books in America? Most banned titles, authors, ages, and more.

BOOK RIOT
Worser and worser ๐Ÿ“š๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿฅบ๐Ÿ˜ก๐Ÿ“š Not surprising, but dramatic to actually see the numbers! "At what point do we decide that the erasure of literature, stories, and histories and the disdain for expertise have hit a breaking point?" #FreedomToRead #BookBans #Censorship #PENAmerica

RE: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:nqno3j4dbzpeqk4oisr7y7r7/post/3mlrck7bqic25
Why do all of us agree on the issue of libraries despite disagreeing about so much else? Values like intellectual freedom, privacy rights, self-reliance, and justice for all are implicit in the mission of any public library you enter. https://action.everylibrary.org/exhausted_by_political_turmoil_turn_to_unifying_power_of_our_libraries
#Library #Libraries #FreedomToRead #1stAmendment #IntellectualFreedom #RightToPrivacy #JusticeForAll #PoliticalBurnout #UnitedWeStand

New PEN America Report Finds Nonfiction Increasingly Targeted by Book Banners in U.S. Schools

โ€œThe content of these books that are disappearing speaks volumes about both the stories, identities, and facts that are being suppressed, and about the political and cultural attack on public education across the U.S.,โ€ the report states.
The post New PEN America Report Finds Nonfiction Increasingly Targeted by Book Banners in U.S. Schools appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/05/new-pen-america-report-finds-nonfiction-increasingly-targeted-by-book-banners-in-u-s-schools/

#BookBans #FreedomtoRead #PENAmerica #reports #UnitedStates

She pulled Heather Has Two Mommies from the shelf, held it against her chest, and decided to leave it there. Third grade. Tuesday morning. The DOJ had just announced she might be a federal civil rights problem. Thirty-six Illinois school districts under investigation. No specific incidents cited โ€” they didn't need any. The investigation is the punishment. Districts fold preemptively. Teachers self-censor. Librarians pull books rather than fight a federal probe with a school board's legal budget. Lambda Legal, the ACLU of Illinois, and Equality Illinois have signaled coordinated pushback. The body knows the sound of a federal letter the way a deer knows a footstep. Surviving the last hunt is not the same as being safe in the next.

https://twp.ai/4hpmsM

#Education #LGBTQ #BookBans #CivilRights #Illinois #SchoolLibraries #QueerFamilies #DOJ #Censorship #ACLU #LambdaLegal #Teachers #FreedomToRead

Frank Strong, co-founder of the Texas Freedom to Read Project, posted a long thread with updates in the many races for school board seats across his state over the weekend (start of the thread here: https://bsky.app/profile/frankstrong.bsky.social/post/3mkvua5t25c25 )

He put up a google document with updates, and context notes, here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1gj-61CqFdvEPmqlgoO-0tpoKQIsuJ3638SaebjoqqxI/edit?tab=t.0

#USPolitics #SchoolBoards #Texas #Censorship #FreedomToRead

PEN America Honors Tennessee Library Advocates for Defending the Freedom to Read

โ€œThe Rutherford County Library Alliance is an important reminder that power lives in our communities, with the courage of individuals who refuse to be silenced,โ€ said Summer Lopez PEN America co-CEO.โ€ Also this week, PEN International released its 2026 International Case List, highlighting writers around the world targeted for their work.
The post PEN America Honors Tennessee Library Advocates for Defending the Freedom to Read appeared first on Publishing Perspectives.
https://publishingperspectives.com/2026/04/pen-america-honors-tennessee-library-advocates-for-defending-the-freedom-to-read/

#BookBans #FreedomtoRead #InternationalCaseList2026 #Libraries #PENInternational

In a country that seems more divided than united, libraries know how to serve the information and learning needs of the public. When they are properly funded, libraries provide people with the resources to become more knowledgeable and less ignorant. https://action.everylibrary.org/one_idea_that_helps_libraries_alleviate_our_social_fears_the_freedom_to_read #Library #Libraries #FreedomToRead #1stAmendment

BOOK CHALLENGES HIT UNPRECEDENTED LEVELS, GRIPPING LIBRARIES AND SCHOOLS

Thousands of book titles are being challenged in US libraries and schools. Learn why and which states are most affected by these censorship attempts.

#BookBans, #LibraryCensorship, #SchoolLibraries, #FreedomToRead, #PENAmerica

https://newsletter.tf/us-book-bans-rise-in-libraries-schools/