A new report from PEN America – a non-profit protecting freedom of expression – has highlighted that book bans for non-fiction titles in US schools have doubled during the 2024-2025 school year. The report analysed the 3,743 unique titles that were removed from school libraries and classrooms in the July to June period that school year, and found that over 1,100 (29%) were non-fiction, more than double the figure compared to the prior year.
Among the titles banned, the report also found common themes, with many books exploring activism and social movements. Titles included in the report included: Challenges for LGBTQ+ Teens by Martha Lundin, Aztec, Inca, and Maya by Elizabeth Baquedano and Night by Elie Wiesel; a 1956 Nazi concentration camp memoir.
“These titles help students learn about their rights and the stories of those who confronted injustice and participated in social movements to change the world around them,” explains McKenna Samson, a co-author of the report.
During the same year, the report also shows double the percentage of books about sex education being banned, including titles such as You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty and Other Things by Cory Silverberg.
PEN America’s findings also showed high figures for marginalised communities with LGBTQ+ characters (39%) and people of colour (44%) continuing to be over-represented in the books being targeted.
Speaking about the uptick in non-fiction book bans, Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s freedom to read program said: “This latest trend shows an embrace of anti-intellectualism, undermining public knowledge by devaluing education and expertise.
“It is another example of how censorship sweeps broadly, leading to removals of all kinds of books, in its efforts to sow fear and distrust in our public education system.”
