Florida leads the U.S. in school book bans in the most recent school year, marking the third straight year the state topped an annual list compiled by free speech group PEN America. The Sunshine State saw 2,304 \u201cinstances of book banning\u201d across 33 counties in 2024-25, according to the report, titled \u201cThe Normalization of Book Banning,\u201d published Wednesday. That figure is down from 4,561 last year, but still by far the most with Texas and Tennessee just behind at about 1,700 instances each.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor many students, families, educators, librarians, and school districts, book banning is a new normal,\u201d the report read. PEN America\u2019s report refers to the number of actions taken against books, not the number of individual books banned, but notes that the most widely banned book nationwide is \u201cA Clockwork Orange\u201d by Anthony Burgess. PEN America defines a book ban as \u201cany 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, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Florida Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment about PEN America\u2019s report. In the past, the state has insisted that its process is based on objections that arise in communities, insisting that \u201cFlorida does not ban books.\u201d In its own report of school book removals, FLDOE\u2019s tally comes in at just 444 removals across 16 counties. Orange removed 17 books this year, according to the state\u2019s report.<\/p>\n
Free speech advocates have warned that lists like the state\u2019s and even PEN America\u2019s undercount book removals because they don\u2019t fully account for self-censorship. Some administrators and educators will quietly remove books from shelves in fear of breaking state law even if no one files an objection. But PEN America\u2019s count isn\u2019t confined to formal objections. This year, \u201cvast numbers of the books removed from shelves \u2013 pending investigation and permanently banned \u2013 came as a result of fear of legislation by school boards, administrators, and educators,\u201d the group said.<\/p>\n
In Florida, one recent wave of removals was sparked by the actions of Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier and Florida Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas, who sent a list to Hillsborough County Public Schools in the spring, flagging dozens of books as pornographic. In the minds of school officials in Hillsborough, Orange and elsewhere, the state officials\u2019 objections went beyond the book review process articulated in Florida law, which creates a citizen complaint process and local school board review of challenged books. It was the first time state leaders had singled out books for districts to remove.
\nOddly, FLDOE\u2019s list of book removals includes none for Hillsborough, despite the superintendent there removing 55 books at the direction of Kamoutsas and Uthmeier. Other Florida counties, including Orange and Osceola, also responded to the state\u2019s directive. Orange in a June school board meeting chose to remove 13 of the books that appeared on the officials\u2019 list, including six that had previously been reviewed by the district and retained. Those books include \u201cForever\u201d by Judy Blume, \u201cLast Night at the Telegraph Club\u201d by Malinda Lo, \u201cForever for a Year\u201d by B. T. Gottfred, \u201cAnd They Lived\u2026\u201d by Steven Salvatore, \u201cHomegoing\u201d by Yaa Gyasi and \u201cRed Hood\u201d by Elana K. Arnold.<\/p>\n
Florida legislators tried and failed this year to expand the bans by removing considerations for literary, artistic, political, or scientific value during the book review process. In August, a federal court handed the state a ruling that struck down several provisions of HB 1069, the law used to justify most of the state\u2019s book removals. The state has since appealed that decision.<\/p>\n
The issue of book bans in Florida and the rest of the U.S. remains a contentious one, with free speech advocates warning of the dangers of censorship and the impact on students\u2019 access to information. As the debate continues, it is essential to consider the implications of book bans on education, literature, and society as a whole.<\/p>\n
Q: Which state leads the U.S. in school book bans?
\nA: Florida leads the U.S. in school book bans, with 2,304 instances of book banning in the 2024-25 school year.
\nQ: What is the most widely banned book nationwide?
\nA: The most widely banned book nationwide is \u201cA Clockwork Orange\u201d by Anthony Burgess.
\nQ: How does PEN America define a book ban?
\nA: PEN America defines a book ban as any action taken against a book based on its content, resulting in the book being completely removed or access to it being restricted or diminished.
\nQ: What is the response from the Florida Department of Education to PEN America\u2019s report?
\nA: The Florida Department of Education did not respond to a request for comment about PEN America\u2019s report.
\nQ: What is the current status of legislative efforts to expand book bans in Florida?
\nA: Florida legislators tried and failed this year to expand the bans, and a federal court handed the state a ruling that struck down several provisions of HB 1069, the law used to justify most of the state\u2019s book removals. The state has since appealed that decision.
\nOriginally Published: October 2, 2025 at 1:15 PM EDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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