The Renowned Author Tops Ranking of Frequently Censored Writers in American Education, Study Shows

A recent examination of book restrictions in US schools points to the celebrated horror writer as the most commonly restricted author, while highlighting a deepening split between states that actively limit access to certain works and those seeking to reduce such restrictions.

Scope of Book Bans

The free expression organization’s newest report, released this week, records over 6,800 cases of books being withdrawn for a period or indefinitely during the 2024-2025 academic year. Although this number marks a drop from more than 10,000 removals in the prior academic session, it stays much greater than numbers seen just a couple of years back, when this kind of monitoring was not even deemed necessary.

Geographical Differences

Roughly eighty percent of these restrictions stemmed from just three states: Florida, Texas, and Tennessee, where laws have been enacted or attempted to remove works considered inappropriate. Conversely, multiple other regions—such as Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey—lacked little to no cases of book removals, thanks to laws that limit the authority of school and public libraries to withdraw titles.

“We are witnessing a tale of two nations,” says the program director, who leads the Freedom to Read initiative. “This isn’t merely about political divisions. Even in Florida, not every district complied with demands for bans. Variations exist from one county to another.”

Top Banned Authors and Titles

According to PEN, Stephen King’s works were targeted 206 times, with titles like The Stand and Carrie included in the 87 of his novels impacted. The most restricted title overall was Anthony Burgess’ dystopian classic A Clockwork Orange, which encountered twenty-three bans. Additional commonly censored titles and writers featured Sold by Patricia McCormick, Forever by Judy Blume, Breathless by Jennifer Niven, and multiple books by Sarah J Maas and Jodi Picoult.

Reasons for Bans

Commonly cited reasons for removing a title encompass LGBTQ+ themes, depictions of race, and sections containing violence and sexual violence. An ongoing trend observed by PEN is the increasing tendency of libraries to remove books in anticipation of external pressures rather than in reaction to a specific complaint.

“This functions as a form of ‘obeying in advance,’” the report reads, “rooted in fear or simply a desire to avoid topics that might be deemed controversial.”

Government and Regional Actions

This analysis is released during continuing censorship efforts not just from states and conservative activists, but additionally from the federal government. The Department of Education terminated an effort to investigate the lawfulness of restrictions and has dismissed the matter as a “hoax”. PEN’s data additionally cover withdrawals by the Department of Defense, which removed numerous titles from elementary and high school collections for armed forces dependents as within a broader campaign against diversity programs and certain ideologies.

Impact in Florida

In Florida, where more than 2,000 books were banned or restricted, a few regions were responsible for many of the Stephen King removals. Dozens of his books were pulled recently as part of a review for adherence with local regulations.

“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,” Meehan explains. “Certain districts, acting out of excessive caution or fear of penalties, cast such a broad net that they eliminate access to Stephen King’s writing as well.”

Approach and Constraints

PEN’s methodology varies compared to that of the a leading library group, which likewise publishes annual reports on restrictions and disputes. Their figures are greater in part because they count any books removed or restricted for any length of time, whereas the ALA only records long-term bans.

Each group recognize that their data is not entirely complete, as they primarily depend on news coverage and submissions from the public. A researcher noted that overall restrictions are “probably greater” than shown in PEN’s snapshot, based on continuing data collection efforts.

The PEN report includes no banning data from several states and other areas because researchers were unable to locate sufficient records. The director also mentioned that PEN does not know the full impact of regional legislation.

“It’s become harder and harder to quantify the scope of the book banning crisis,” Meehan states. “When a state enacts a restriction law, we lack information on whether every school complied. Our findings are a snapshot—based on publicly available reports, online sources, and journalistic investigations.”