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Journalism of Courage
Stephen King, one of the world’s most popular storytellers, has now become the most censored author in American schools. According to a new report from PEN America, King’s works were removed from classrooms and libraries more often than those of any other writer during the 2024–2025 academic year.
The free-expression group’s study, ‘Banned in the USA’, recorded more than 6,800 cases of books being taken off shelves in schools nationwide. While that marks a decline from over 10,000 instances in the previous school year, the figure remains sharply higher than just a few years ago, before PEN felt compelled to track such numbers.
King’s books accounted for 206 bans, with Carrie and The Stand among 87 of his titles targeted. The single most frequently banned book overall was Anthony Burgess’ 1960s dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange, which PEN documented being pulled 23 times. Works by Judy Blume, Patricia McCormick, Jennifer Niven, Sarah J Maas and Jodi Picoult were also among those facing significant restrictions.
The findings reflect a stark divide in how states approach book bans. Roughly 80% of removals came from just three states — Florida, Texas and Tennessee — where new laws have sought to strip schools of materials considered “inappropriate.” By contrast, states such as Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey have passed measures limiting or blocking schools from banning books altogether.
The report highlights a growing trend of schools preemptively pulling books to avoid potential conflict. Rather than responding to complaints, many administrators acted in advance of anticipated political or community pressure.
“This is a form of ‘obeying in advance,’” the report states, describing removals driven by fear of backlash more than by direct challenges. Most often, books were flagged for LGBTQ+ content, racial themes, or depictions of violence and sexual assault. King’s novels were frequently caught up in these broad sweeps aimed at titles labeled “adult” or “sexual.”
Book removals have also expanded beyond state initiatives. The Department of Defense, for example, recently cleared hundreds of titles from K–12 libraries on military bases as part of a larger push against diversity and inclusion programs. At the same time, the US Department of Education under the Biden administration ended a review of book bans’ legality, dismissing the controversy as a “hoax.”
PEN’s figures are higher than those of the American Library Association, which only counts permanent bans. PEN includes any instance where access was restricted, even temporarily. Both organisations acknowledge their tallies are incomplete, limited to media coverage, public records and reports from school districts.
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
