PEN America Reports Record High of 11,982 Book Bans in U.S. Public Schools for 2025-2026 School Year
PEN America has reported an unprecedented 11,982 book bans in U.S. public schools during the 2025-2026 school year, marking the highest number since the organization began tracking such incidents. This figure was highlighted by County Superintendent of Schools Dr. Farris Sabbah during a benefit screening of the 2025 documentary 'The Librarians' in Santa Cruz, California. The event, organized by high school seniors Laird Bowser, Alec Thomsen, and Devin Protti, raised over $5,000 to purchase banned and challenged books for local school libraries. The documentary itself details the origins of the book-banning wave, tracing it back to former Texas State Representative Matt Krause and Governor Greg Abbott's 2021 list of 850 books targeted for removal, which subsequently fueled efforts by groups like Moms for Liberty. The film also draws parallels to historical instances of censorship, including Ray Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451' and McCarthyism.
