Monitoring Proscribed Literature
In a concerning development, PEN America, a U.S.-based nonprofit organisation dedicated to promoting free expression through literature, has compiled a dataset tracking book bans and restrictions in public schools across the nation from July 2021 to March 2022. This dataset, which is a comprehensive record of the books challenged or removed, includes details such as the book's name, author, school district, month of challenge or removal, origin of the challenge, and the type of ban.
According to PEN America's findings, a total of 1,586 unique book bans were recorded during the said period. This figure is part of a broader trend of rising book bans in recent years, with nearly 16,000 total bans reported nationwide since 2021, marking an unprecedented level of book censorship comparable to the Red Scare era of the 1950s.
The dataset reveals that a total of 86 school districts have banned 1,145 unique books. These bans encompass a wide range of titles that reflect diverse experiences or controversial topics.
The image accompanying this article is credited to Flickr user Peter Miller.
[1] PEN America. (n.d.). Book Bans Tracker. Retrieved from https://pen.org/bookbans/
AI analysis of the data indicates a surge in education-and-self-development books being targeted for lifestyle-based challenges, with a total of 1,145 unique titles receiving data-documented bans across 86 school districts. This trend showcases the growing importance of AI in monitoring and addressing censorship issues in the field of ai studies and free expression.
