Jodi Picoult’s “Nineteen Minutes,” a novel about the aftermath of a school shooting, was banned in 98 school districts across the country in the last school year, making it the most frequently removed book in a period that saw a record number of book bans across the country, according to PEN America.
When the novel was first published, in 2007, it was lauded for its nuanced depiction of bullying and violence in schools, incorporated into many high school curriculums and awarded multiple teen book awards.
“It’s really alarming,” Picoult said of the shift. “What’s crazy is that the book hasn’t changed.”
“Nineteen Minutes” was among 4,231 unique titles that were banned in schools across the country during the 2023-2024 school year, according to a new report from PEN America, a free speech organization.
In total, when accounting for books that were banned in multiple districts, there were more than 10,000 book removals in schools across the United States during the school year, a rise of around 200 percent compared with the previous year, the report found.
In addition to “Nineteen Minutes,” the most frequently banned titles included “Looking for Alaska” by John Green, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “Sold” by Patricia McCormick and “Thirteen Reasons Why” by Jay Asher. Other frequently banned authors include the blockbuster fantasy author Sarah J. Maas, Ellen Hopkins and Stephen King. King’s books were banned in 173 instances across 26 school districts.
Classics like Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” and Kurt Vonnegut’s “Slaughterhouse Five” were also removed in multiple school districts.
Picoult said she was stunned to see her novel about a shooting being banned by so many districts at a time when students have to live with the very real threat of violence in their schools. Hundreds of children have written to her about the novel, sometimes saying that it prevented them from committing acts of violence or helped them deal with bullying, she said.
“Nineteen Minutes” is often targeted for removal not because it depicts violence, but because of a date rape scene that critics of the book consider sexually explicit. But Picoult said that efforts to shield young readers from complex and upsetting subjects could leave them with fewer tools to deal with the difficult issues they face in real life.
“The book banners who believe that banning books is protecting children are actually doing harm to children,” she said.
PEN first began tracking book bans in 2021, when book removals began to surge alongside the rise of parental rights organizations, which aimed to purge schools of books that they deemed not appropriate for children.
Since then, PEN has tallied nearly 16,000 instances of book bans in public schools. To compile data on book removals, PEN looks at public reports from local news organizations, information that comes from other organizations tracking book bans in different states and school district websites that post lists of challenged titles.
The reported figures are likely a severe undercount, said Kasey Meehan, the director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read program. The numbers don’t capture book bans that go unreported, or instances when librarians and teachers avoid ordering or stocking books that could invite scrutiny because they feel increasing pressure to avoid controversial topics, Meehan said.
“We often hear that there is a lot of fear and intimidation that is influencing decisions about what books to purchase for a library collection,” she said.
Book bans have risen sharply in states that have recently passed legislation that regulates what kinds of books should be available in schools. Florida, which passed legislation that prohibits sexual content in school libraries, had the highest number of books removed last year, totaling more than 4,500 books. Iowa, which has also passed legislation restricting the content of school and classroom libraries, had the second highest number, with more than 3,600 book bans.
In its recent analysis, PEN found that books about L.G.B.T.Q. people and books that address race and racism and feature characters of color were among the most frequently challenged titles. Nearly 40 percent of books that were banned had L.G.B.T.Q. themes, while 44 percent of banned titles were about characters of color. The majority of books targeted for removal — some 60 percent — were written for young adult readers.
People who are in favor of removing books that touch on sexuality or other controversial topics often say their aim is to protect students from obscene content, and to give parents greater control over what their children read. But free speech organizations and many authors say that removing a book over its content, particularly titles that are written for young adults, amounts to censorship.
“What continues to be alarming is the overall magnitude of this,” Meehan said. “Literature is being challenged and diminished in our public school system.”
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