December 18, 2025
Shelves vs Censors
Top Banned Books: The Most Banned Books in U.S. Schools – Pen America
From Toni Morrison to John Green, bans hit 45 states as comments explode
TLDR: PEN America counted 22,810 school book bans since 2021, sweeping up award-winners and YA favorites. Comments erupt: some pledge ‘banned’ bookshelves, others insist school selection isn’t a real ban, and shock-jokes fly — crystallizing a fierce fight over what kids should be allowed to read.
PEN America dropped a jaw‑clenching stat bomb: 22,810 school book bans since 2021, across 45 states. The “most banned” list includes award‑winners and bestsellers—Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, Judy Blume—plus repeat targets like John Green’s Looking for Alaska (147 bans), Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes (142), and The Perks of Being a Wallflower (135). Even fantasy and YA staples like Sarah J. Maas and Ellen Hopkins are caught up. While some groups wave the “it’s porn” flag, commenters point out many titles don’t even have a kiss, focusing instead on race, LGBTQ+ identities, and hard truths like abuse and violence.
The comment section turned into a full‑blown drama club. One reader vows to build a “banned bookshelf” as protest, arguing kids will find this info online anyway. Another slams the term “ban,” insisting schools choosing not to stock a title isn’t the same as state censorship, name‑checking countries with real bans. A third asks how school bans actually work—do you get in trouble for bringing your own book? Meanwhile, fantasy fans clutch pearls over Throne of Glass being on the list (“Wait, why?”), and one shock‑joker drops the “Where’s Mein Kampf?” line, prompting collective side‑eye. The vibe: passionate, messy, meme‑ready, with readers split between calling it censorship and calling it curation—while PEN’s numbers keep climbing. Check PEN America’s Index of School Book Bans for receipts.
Key Points
- •PEN America has documented 22,810 school book bans in the U.S. since 2021.
- •Bans have occurred in 45 states and 451 public school districts.
- •John Green’s 'Looking for Alaska' has been banned up to 147 times; Jodi Picoult’s 'Nineteen Minutes' 142 times.
- •Seven books each by Sarah J. Maas and Ellen Hopkins appear in the top 52 most banned titles.
- •Many frequently banned books address themes of race, LGBTQ+ identities, and sexual abuse, rather than explicit sexual content.