First Amendment advocates fight growing number of U.S. book bans

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October 5th, 2023

PEN America Managing Director Nadine Farid Johnson (C) speaks during a news conference with (L-R) Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and other House Democrats to announce a bicameral resolution recognizing Banned Books Week outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.

One of Thomasina Brown’s favorite books is a memoir about a girl who deals with the grief of losing her father and struggles with her sexual identity.

Brown, a 16-year-old student at Nixa High School in Nixa, Missouri, said in an interview that she felt a connection with the book, as she grieved the loss of her own father and came to terms with her own queer identity.

That book, “Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic,” is one of the more than 3,300 books that have been banned during the 2022-2023 school year, a 33% increase from the previous school year, according to a report by PEN America, a group that is dedicated to fighting book bans and advocates for the First Amendment.

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