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Stephen King Tops List of Most Banned Authors as School Book Bans Persist, Report Finds
A new report reveals that horror master Stephen King is the author most frequently targeted in U.S. school book bans, highlighting a growing divide across the country between states actively restricting literary works and those striving to protect access.
PEN America’s “Banned in the USA” report, released Wednesday, meticulously tracks over 6,800 instances of books being temporarily or permanently removed from school shelves for the 2024-2025 academic year. While this figure marks a decrease from more than 10,000 bans recorded in the previous year, it remains significantly higher than levels seen just a few years ago, when such comprehensive tracking by PEN was not deemed necessary.
A stark geographic split is evident, with approximately 80% of these bans originating in just three states: Florida, Texas, and Tennessee. These states have either enacted or attempted to implement laws that call for the removal of books deemed objectionable. Conversely, PEN found minimal or no instances of removals in other states, with Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey cited as examples where laws actively limit the authority of school and public libraries to pull books.
“It is increasingly a story of two countries,” stated Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program and a co-author of the report. “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.”
King’s works were censored 206 times, according to PEN’s findings, with popular titles like “Carrie” and “The Stand” among 87 of his books affected. The most banned single work by any author was Anthony Burgess’s classic 1960s dystopian novel, “A Clockwork Orange,” which saw 23 removals.
Other authors and books facing extensive restrictions included Patricia McCormick’s “Sold,” Judy Blume’s “Forever,” Jennifer Niven’s “Breathless,” and numerous titles by Sarah J. Maas and Jodi Picoult.
Common justifications for book removals often include LGBTQ+ themes, depictions of race, and passages containing violence or sexual violence. An escalating trend identified by PEN is the pre-emptive removal of thousands of books by schools and districts, not in response to direct threats, but in anticipation of potential community, political, or legal pressure.
“This functions as a form of ‘obeying in advance,’” the report explains, “rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial.”
The PEN report emerges amidst broader censorship efforts, extending beyond state initiatives and conservative activist groups to include actions by the federal government. The Department of Education, for instance, has ended a Biden administration initiative investigating the legality of bans and has controversially labeled the issue a “hoax.” PEN’s data also incorporates the Department of Defense’s removal of hundreds of books from K-12 school libraries serving military families, as part of a wider campaign against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and “un-American” thinking.
In Florida, where over 2,000 books faced bans or restrictions, a handful of counties were responsible for many of the removals targeting Stephen King’s books. Dozens of his titles were pulled last year as part of reviews to ensure compliance with state laws.
Meehan elaborated, “His books are often removed from shelves when ‘adult’ titles or books with ‘sex content’ are targeted for removal — these prohibitions overwhelmingly ban LGBTQ+ content and books on race, racism, and people of color — but also affect titles like Stephen King’s books. Some districts — in being overly cautious or fearful of punishment — will sweep so wide they end up removing Stephen King from access too.”
PEN America’s methodology differs from that of the American Library Association (ALA), which also publishes annual reports on book challenges. PEN’s numbers are notably higher because the free expression organization accounts for any books removed or restricted for any length of time, while the ALA typically counts only permanent removals or restrictions. Both organizations acknowledge that their data, largely reliant on media reports and direct submissions, is not fully comprehensive.
The PEN report notes that it does not include data from states such as Ohio, Oklahoma, and Arkansas, where researchers could not find adequate documentation. Meehan also indicated that the full impact of statewide laws remains difficult to ascertain.