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[POLITICS] · United States · 20 sources

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Part of situation: US school and library book censorship escalation (3 clusters)

US public schools reach record 12,000 book bans

book bans school censorship PEN America freedom of expression Young Adult literature

Public schools across the United States reached a record high of 11,982 book bans during the 2025-2026 school year, according to a report by PEN America. This figure nearly doubles the 6,870 bans recorded in the previous year.

Approximately 58% of the banned titles are categorized as Young Adult literature, and 87% are works of fiction. The report notes that bans have increasingly targeted themes related to race, racism, sexuality, and LGBTQ+ identities. Texas and Florida were identified as states with the highest concentration of removals, with Texas alone accounting for between 8,000 and 9,000 bans.

Stephen King was named the most banned author for the second consecutive year, with 312 instances of his work being withdrawn. The novel 'Sold' by Patricia McCormick was identified as the most frequently banned individual title, with 25 recorded instances.

PEN America also highlighted the growing role of artificial intelligence in the censorship process. School administrators are increasingly using AI tools to identify books for removal, often creating a 'snowball effect' where titles are pulled simply because they were banned in other districts.

Entities

American Library Association · Camden County Library System · Florida · PEN America · Patricia McCormick · Stephen King · Texas

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.

Sources

Rekordna prepoved knjig v ameriških šolah, med njimi tudi dela priljubljenih avtorjev [n1info.si]
ΗΠΑ: Ρεκόρ σχεδόν 12. 000 απαγορευμένων βιβλίων στα δημόσια… [pieria24.gr]
Récord histórico: EE. UU. vetó casi 12. 000 libros en escuelas públicas - El Reporte Diario [reportediario.cl]
Los centros públicos de EE. UU. vetaron 12. 000 libros en el último curso escolar [www.lavozdegalicia.es]
Meer boeken dan ooit verboden in Amerikaanse scholen - [www.mariabode.nl]
Estados Unidos alcanzó un récord de casi 12. 000 libros vetados en las escuelas [noticiasargentinas.com]
'Banned Books Week' arrives amid proposed federal law changes [www.ksfr.org]
NOVL Reads Banned Books [www.mandelasfavoritefolktales.com]
EU emitió casi 12 mil prohibiciones literarias en escuelas en un año; obras de Stephen King lideran lista [lajornadasanluis.com.mx]
Sob Trump, censura a livros bate recorde com quase 12 mil proibições nos EUA [www.diariodocentrodomundo.com.br]
Las escuelas públicas de EE. UU. vetaron 12. 000 libros en el último periodo, un récord [canal44.com]
PEN America: Nearly 12,000 school book bans in a year, a record high [lethbridgeherald.com]
Book Bans and Librarians [freepress.org]
US book bans in public schools reach record annual high of 12,000 [www.ghanamma.com]
Las escuelas públicas de EE. UU. vetaron 12 mil libros en el último curso, un récord [lopezdoriga.com]
Book bans in US schools hit record high of nearly 12,000, PEN America says [san.com]
EE. UU. registra un récord de libros vetados en escuelas: casi 12. 000 en el último periodo [www.elespectador.com]
NOVL Reads Banned Books [www.hachettebookgroup.com]
Book by a Rosemont College grad is the most banned in America [www.phillyvoice.com]
Studie: V amerických školách bylo v posledním roce vydáno na 12. 000 zákazů knih | ČeskéNoviny. cz [www.ceskenoviny.cz]