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A recent examination of literature censorship in American educational institutions points to the celebrated horror writer as the most commonly restricted writer, while highlighting a growing divide between states that actively limit availability of certain works and those seeking to reduce such restrictions.

Scope of Book Bans

PEN America’s newest report, released recently, documents over 6,800 cases of titles being temporarily or permanently removed during the 2024-2025 school year. While this number marks a drop from more than ten thousand bans in the previous year, it remains significantly higher than levels seen just a few years ago, when such tracking was considered unnecessary.

Geographical Differences

Roughly eighty percent of these bans stemmed from only three regions: Texas, Florida, and Tennessee, where regulations were passed or attempted to eliminate books deemed objectionable. Conversely, multiple other regions—including Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey—showed little to no instances of literature withdrawals, due to laws that restrict the power of school and public libraries to pull books.

“We are witnessing a tale of two nations,” says the program director, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program. “And it’s not just a story of red states and blue states. In Florida, not all of the school districts responded to the calls for banning books. You can find differences from county to county.”

Top Banned Authors and Titles

Per PEN, Stephen King’s books were targeted on 206 occasions, with titles like The Stand and Carrie included in the eighty-seven of his novels impacted. The most banned work overall was the author’s dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange, which faced 23 bans. Other frequently restricted books and authors included Patricia McCormick’s Sold, Forever by Judy Blume, Jennifer Niven’s Breathless, and numerous works by Sarah J Maas and Jodi Picoult.

Reasons for Bans

Commonly cited justifications for removing a title include content related to LGBTQ+ issues, portrayals of racial topics, and passages containing violence and sexual violence. A continuing pattern noted by PEN is the increasing practice of schools to remove books in anticipation of external pressures rather than in response to a specific complaint.

“This functions as a form of ‘obeying in advance,’” the report reads, “rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial.”

Federal and State Involvement

This analysis is released during continuing censorship efforts not just from regional authorities and advocacy groups, but also from the national administration. A federal agency terminated an initiative to investigate the legality of restrictions and has labeled the matter as a “hoax”. PEN’s data additionally cover withdrawals by the military education system, which pulled numerous titles from K-12 school libraries for armed forces dependents as within a broader campaign against diversity programs and “un-American” thinking.

Florida’s Situation

Across the state, where more than two thousand books were removed or limited, a handful of counties were responsible for many of the author’s bans. Dozens of his works were pulled recently as part of a evaluation for compliance with state laws.

“When ‘adult’ works or those with sexual themes are singled out, his novels are frequently caught in the net – these measures largely target LGBTQ+ material and literature on race, yet they also impact authors such as Stephen King,” Meehan explains. “Certain districts, acting out of excessive caution or fear of penalties, cast such a broad net that they eliminate access to Stephen King’s writing as well.”

Methodology and Limitations

PEN’s methodology varies compared to that of the American Library Association, which likewise publishes annual reports on bans and challenges. PEN’s numbers are higher in part because they include titles withdrawn or limited temporarily or permanently, while the ALA solely records permanent removals or restrictions.

Each group have acknowledged that their data is far from comprehensive, as they primarily depend on media reports and submissions from the public. A researcher commented that overall restrictions are “probably greater” than reflected in the current analysis, based on continuing data collection efforts.

The PEN report includes no banning data from Ohio, Oklahoma, Arkansas and other regions because researchers could not find adequate documentation. The director also mentioned that the organization cannot determine the complete effect of regional legislation.

“Assessing the full extent of the book restriction issue has grown increasingly difficult,” Meehan states. “In a state where a banning law is passed, we don’t have the data to know whether every school in that state had the books affected. Our data is snapshot. It’s what we were able to collect through what’s publicly reported or on websites or what journalists have uncovered.”