PEN America has released a definitive report identifying the 52 most frequently banned books of the decade so far, per publishersweekly.com. Drawing from data recorded between 2021 and 2025, the index reveals that US school districts are increasingly targeting specific titles, particularly those addressing race, LGBTQ+ identities, and themes of sexual violence.
Topping the list is John Green’s 2005 young adult novel Looking for Alaska, which has faced 147 instances of banning. It is followed closely by Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes (142 bans), which explores the aftermath of a school shooting, and Patricia McCormick’s Sold (136 bans), a novel centred on sex trafficking in Nepal.
Other frequently suppressed works include:
* Toni Morrison: The Bluest Eye (116 bans) and Beloved (77 bans).
* Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid’s Tale (106 bans).
* Sarah J. Maas: The “romantasy” author saw seven of her titles targeted.
* George M. Johnson & Maia Kobabe: Memoirs All Boys Aren’t Blue and Gender Queer remain primary targets for their depictions of LGBTQ+ identities.
Since 2021, PEN America has documented a staggering 22,810 cases of book bans across 45 states and 451 public school districts. Kasey Meehan, PEN’s Freedom to Read Director, describes the trend as a “coordinated effort” rather than a series of isolated incidents.
“Districts are copycatting each other,” Meehan noted. “We see the same titles again and again.”
The report highlights a growing concern: if mainstream bestsellers and established classics like those by Maya Angelou and Alice Walker are being labelled “indecent,” it suggests that no literary work is safe from ideological censorship.
The release follows a significant blow to anti-censorship advocates. The U.S. Supreme Court recently declined to hear Leila Green Little et al. v. Llano County, a pivotal Texas case regarding the removal of books from public libraries. With the judiciary hesitant to intervene, the momentum of school book removals shows little sign of slowing.
