PEN America released its list of the most-banned books of the 2024-2025 school year on Oct. 1. Which books made the list, and which are banned in California?
The organization focusing on free expression through literature released its annual list of book bannings, according to PEN America’s website.
Public schools in the U.S. have banned almost 23,000 books since 2021, PEN America says. The books banned have predominantly been about race, racism, individuals of color, and LGBTQ+ topics.
The organization recorded 6,780 instances of book bans with nearly 4,000 titles. Florida was the state with the most book bans, with 2,304 cases of bans. Texas and Tennessee followed closely behind with over 1,500 banned titles each.
What are the most banned books in the U.S.?
The most banned book in the U.S is “A Clockwork Orange” by Anthony Burgess. The 1962 book is the oldest of the 15 most-banned books in the country.
Two books in Sarah J. Maas’s “A Court of Thorns and Roses” were also notable. The titles in the top spots also heavily leaned towards the Young Adult genre.
The 15 most banned books:
Does California have banned books?
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1078 in 2023, banning book bans, according to news release from the governor’s office.
Assemblymember Corey Jackson of Moreno Valley authored the bill, which prohibits school boards from “banning instructional materials or library books on the basis that they provide inclusive and diverse perspectives in compliance with state law,” the release says.
In the California podcast episode “The Future of Education Depends on Democracy,: John Rogers, a professor at UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies, cited his study that found a mid-sized California district spent $1 million in staff time managing divisive community disputes and another district had a fourfold increase in public records requests, consuming thousands of hours of staff time.
Ernesto Centeno Araujo covers breaking news for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at ecentenoaraujo@vcstar.com, 805-437-0224 or @ecentenoaraujo on Instagram and X.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: PEN America releases list of most banned books in the U.S.
Reporting by Ernesto Centeno Araujo, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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