The primary missions of libraries are to be accessible to everyone and to promote access to culture. However, in the United States, school and public libraries have in recent years faced growing controversy over certain literary content. This national issue is hindering their ability to fulfil their role as inclusive public spaces.
Although freedom of expression is a fundamental principle of American democracy, it is now facing increasing opposition in the realm of literature.
How did this wave of protest over certain books in libraries begin? How did it spread across the country, and who are its main voices?
While literary censorship has existed in the United States for centuries, a new wave of protest began in 2018 in Lafayette, Louisiana. A children's storytime workshop, led by drag queens at the county's public library, drew strong reactions from concerned parents and quickly gained national media attention. It became a subject of widespread public debate.
While that event lit the spark, the movement against certain books in libraries gained momentum with the 2019 publication of Gender Queer, written and illustrated by Maia Kobabe. The book explores themes of sexuality and coming out.
Today, topics such as racism, sexuality, slavery, LGBTQIA+ rights, feminism, and sexual violence are among the most frequently cited reasons for book challenges in school and public libraries.
Since 2021, PEN America has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools across the country.
The American Library Association has also gathered data on censorship efforts in school and public libraries: 72% of challenges come from pressure groups and government entities (including elected officials, board members, and administrators), 16% come from parents, and the remaining 12% are submitted by individuals—such as library users, teachers, librarians, or staff.
But why are these books being challenged?
The Moms for Liberty movement, founded in 2021 in Florida by a group of parents, has committed itself to removing so-called problematic books from school shelves. The group has gained national traction. On its website, it states:
"Moms for Liberty is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating and empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."*
In a 2023 article by Amnesty International, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (whom we will discuss later in this article series) emphasized the need to regulate what students are exposed to in schools.
“We think it’s important that education focus on the essentials. That’s why we’ve banned critical race theory at all levels of instruction. \[...] We’re not using your tax dollars to teach your kids to hate our country. We also made sure parents can check course content so they know what their kids are learning and can object to it.”
In a 2025 ARTE documentary by Ilan Ziv, Rick Brattin, a Republican State Senator from Missouri, explained:
“I know a lot of people think we’re banning books. No, the issue is providing age-appropriate content. Children have access to things that go far beyond what’s suitable for them. Children have a right to their innocence. It’s our obligation to protect it.”
When asked which novels were considered inappropriate, Brattin gave a vague answer:
“Oh, there’s an endless list, and I’d be happy to get it for you. Well, I don’t have the titles right here. [...] We have a list of books that have mostly been reported to us by parents who are outraged that such content is available in schools.”
Ultimately, it is not only the books themselves but the messages and values they convey that many conservative groups in the U.S. find objectionable. According to them, censorship stems from a desire to protect parental rights and uphold the image of the traditional American family.
So the question remains: how are libraries responding to these challenges? And what strategies are they adopting to continue fulfilling their mission of serving the public?
By the same author in this series:
Prohibited from reading? Chapter one: a librarian analysis
Image: Chloé Wahl
Dès mon plus jeune âge, les livres m'ont ouvert des fenêtres sur le monde. Chaque page tournée était une nouvelle aventure, chaque histoire m'a aidée à construire mon imagination et mon esprit critique. Cette fascination pour le monde des livres m'a naturellement menée vers ma vocation, devenir agente en information documentaire. Mon but est de continuer à connecter les gens avec les bons livres et les bonnes ressources numériques. Il me tient également à cœur de rester engagée dans la mission primordiale des bibliothèques : promouvoir l'accès à la culture pour tous les publics malgré les nombreux défis qui s'imposent.
