The number of challenged and banned books in school curriculums and public libraries continues to rise as books tackling themes like race, LGBTQ+ identity, sex, and more have become the central focus of a culture war over education. In the last year alone, 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for censorship in schools and libraries in the United States, according to the American Library Association (ALA).
As successful and unsuccessful challenges to books persist, so do efforts to oppose these challenges and protect books from being banned. The California State Legislature and the San Diego County Board of Supervisors are both currently working on policies that push back against challenging or banning books. The State Senate is close to passing a State Assembly bill that would prevent frequently challenged books from being removed from public library shelves, while San Diego Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer is backing a similar policy at the county level.