![]() ![]() Compared to the usual 300-500 annual book challenges they receive, the number of challenges clocked in at 729 complaints levied against 1,527 different books in 2021. The number of books being challenged has reached an unprecedented high, per The American Library Association. They are being used to facilitate the censorship of books in classrooms and school libraries. Many of these gag orders address the inclusion of critical race theory and LGBTQ themes in school. Though only seven states have passed such laws, the number of proposed bills is 250 percent higher than in 2021. ![]() According to PEN, 36 states have introduced 137 educational gag order bills. ![]() The organization attributes the new wave of book bans to the increasing number of "educational gag orders" being passed across the country. ![]() PEN America, a literary and free expression rights organization, defines school book banning as "any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials." ![]()
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