A new report from PEN America reveals that the number of banned non-fiction books in US schools doubled during the 2024-2025 academic year. The organisation analysed 3,743 unique titles removed from school libraries and classrooms between July and June, finding that over 1,100—or 29%—were non-fiction, more than double the previous year.
The most common theme among banned non-fiction books was activism and social movements. McKenna Samson, a co-author of the report, said: '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.' Banned titles included Challenges for LGBTQ+ Teens by Martha Lundin, Aztec, Inca, and Maya by Elizabeth Baquedano, and Night by Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust memoir.
Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s freedom to read programme, criticised the trend: '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.'
The report also found that the percentage of banned books about sex education doubled, including titles such as You Know, Sex: Bodies, Gender, Puberty and Other Things by Cory Silverberg. Marginalised communities continued to be over-represented, with books featuring LGBTQ+ characters (39%) and people of colour (44%) disproportionately targeted. Books about death and grief made up 48% of banned titles, while those about empowerment and self-esteem accounted for 39%.
Fiction titles also faced bans, including dystopian novels like Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, as well as classics such as To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Push by Sapphire. Since PEN America began documenting book bans in 2021, over 23,000 instances have been recorded. The report follows findings from the American Library Association showing a record high in book bans across all US libraries in 2025, with 40% of challenged titles involving LGBTQ+ people or people of colour.
