Overview

• The 2024–25 tally spans 87 districts in 23 states and affects 3,752 unique works, with individual titles often removed in multiple places.
• More than 80% of the recorded actions occurred in Florida, Texas and Tennessee, underscoring a geographically concentrated phenomenon.
• Books addressing LGBTQ identity, race, violence and culturally diverse experiences were the most frequently targeted categories.
• PEN America highlights preventive practices such as not acquiring or re-shelving challenged titles, a form of 'soft-banning' that reduces access without formal removals.
• The top banned list features both classics and contemporary works, including A Clockwork Orange (23 districts), Breathless and Sold (20 each), and Last Night at the Telegraph Club (19), while the multi-year count since 2021 has reached 22,810 bans.