stephen King Tops List of most Banned Authors in U.S. Schools

A new report on book bans in U.S. schools reveals that Stephen King is the author most frequently targeted for censorship. The report also highlights a growing divide between states actively restricting books and those working to limit or eliminate bans.

PEN America’s “Banned in the USA,” released wednesday, documents over 6,800 instances of books being temporarily or permanently removed during the 2024-2025 school year. While this number is down from the more than 10,000 recorded in 2023-24, it remains significantly higher than levels seen just a few years ago – so high, in fact, that PEN didn’t previously feel the need to compile such a report.

A striking 80 percent of these bans originated in just three states: Florida, Texas, and Tennessee. These states have either enacted or attempted to enact laws requiring the removal of books considered objectionable. Conversely, PEN America found little to no book removals in several other states. Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey, for example, have laws that restrict the ability of school and public libraries to pull books from shelves.

“It’s increasingly a story of two countries,” explains Kasey Meehan, director of PEN’s Freedom to Read program and a co-author of the report. “And it’s not simply a matter of red states versus blue states.Even within Florida, not all school districts are responding to calls for book bans. You see variations from county to county.”

King’s books faced censorship 206 times, according to PEN. Titles like Carrie and The Stand were among the 87 of his works affected. The most frequently banned book overall was Anthony Burgess’ dystopian classic, A clockwork Orange, which PEN identified as being targeted 23 times.