Book Bans in Public Schools

SOURCE view.newsletters.cnn.com
PEN America warns of a disturbing trend of book bans in public schools, fueled by the right-wing media machine, targeting diverse and inclusive books about race, gender, and LGBTQ+ topics.

Key Points

  • Over 4,000 instances of book bans in the first half of the school year.
  • Bans fueled by backlash to critical race theory and gender ideology.
  • Many banned books focus on themes of race, racism, and LGBTQ+ topics.

Pros

  • Growing resistance to the bans by major publishers and ordinary people.
  • Students leading protests and efforts to oppose censorship.

Cons

  • Censorship impacting public school systems across the US.
  • Harassment against authors whose books are banned.