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PEN America reports that nearly 12,000 book bans occurred in public schools over the past year, marking a record high since tracking began five years ago. Stephen King's works were the most frequently banned for the second consecutive year, with his books removed 312 times. The report highlights restrictive laws and activism in Florida and Texas as major factors driving these bans, which often target themes of race, sexuality, and gender identity.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
PEN America reported that 11,982 book bans occurred in US public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, setting a record high since the organization began tracking such incidents in 2021. The total number of bans since then has reached 34,000. Texas had the most bans with over 8,100, surpassing Florida's previous dominance. New state laws and AI tools have contributed to this surge. Stephen King was again the most frequently banned author for the second year in a row. Bans typically involve themes of race, racism, sexuality, and gender identity. The report emphasizes that book bans limit students' access to diverse perspectives critical for education and personal development.
Written for “US Book Bans Record High” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.45, but none of the 2 quote(s) it offered could be found in the article text, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 58106: no verified evidence · logged 2026-10-05
Nearly 12,000 bans took place in public schools over the past year, according to a new study from PEN America, the highest total since the free expression organization began tracking removals five years ago.
uncertain
organization → take → removals
For the second straight year, Stephen King was the author most likely to have his work withdrawn.
asserted
work → have → year
Many of the bans took place in Florida and Texas, where restrictive laws have been passed and both politicians and conservative activists have pushed for removals.
asserted
politicians → take → removals
PEN has also found that school district administrators rely increasingly on AI to determine which books should be pulled.
asserted
books → find → AI
Themes of race, racism, sexuality and gender identity remain the most common reasons books are challenged.
asserted
books → remain → race
“School libraries make knowledge and ideas available, ensure books remain available for all regardless of personal or political ideologies, and open gateways to stories that inform, challenge, and reflect the realities of the world back to readers,” the PEN report, titled “Banned in the USA,” reads in part.
asserted
report → make → part
“Book bans impede the freedom to read, cutting students’ access to a diversity of views, voices, perspectives, and literature they deserve to encounter.”
asserted
they → impede → views
In all, PEN found 11,982 cases of bans, affecting 7,370 individual works.
asserted
PEN → find → works
Over 4,500 were on the list for the first time, ranging from the 19th century classic “Jane Eyre” to Sui Ishida’s “Tokyo Ghoul” manga series.
asserted
4,500 → range → series
Monday’s report arrives during “Banned Books Week,” during which events at schools and libraries and other locations nationwide call attention to censorship efforts.
asserted
events → arrive → efforts
King’s books were pulled 312 times, with “The Shining” and “The Green Mile” among those impacted.
asserted
books → pull → those
Meanwhile, the most banned individual title was Patrick McCormick’s novel about a girl sold into sexual slavery in India, “Sold,” for which PEN found 25 removals.
asserted
PEN → ban → removals
Other books commonly targeted include Margaret Atwood’s dystopian “The Handmaid’s Tale”; Laurie Halse Anderson’s “Speak,” her prize-winning novel about a teenager who falls silent after being raped; and Ellen Hopkins’ novel about drug addiction, “Crank.”
asserted
who → target → addiction
PEN America and the American Library Association have both reported historic surges in bans since the early 2020s, although their methodologies differ.
asserted
methodologies → report → 2020s
PEN counts books removed even for a short time as a ban, while the ALA only includes books that have been permanently pulled.
asserted
that → count → books
According to the library association’s most recent report, published in April, some 5,600 instances of bans took place during the previous year.
uncertain
instances → accord → year
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