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“Book ban” attempts surged last year with Texas leading by a wide margin.
The American Library Association’s new report states that there were nearly 1,300 literary changes in 2022. The year before that, there were just over 700 challenges.
But what’s most notable about the report is how many more books were challenged in Texas compared to even other red states. In Texas, there were 93 ban requests. Pennsylvania had the second-most challenges with 56 attempts. Meanwhile, Hawaii and Vermont only recorded five challenges between them.
More than 2,500 unique titles were challenged among the states, most frequently for LGTBQ themes or sexually explicit language.
The ALA says it’s an attempt to suppress minority voices. However, 30% of the book censorship attempts were made by concerned parents, citing inappropriate content.