PEN America

Today, Indigenous Peoples’ Day celebrates the vibrant culture and important contributions of Native Americans. Meanwhile, across the U.S., books by Native American authors continue to be challenged or banned from classrooms and libraries. We first created our Banned Indigenous Literature Reading List by drawing on the extensive research of Dr. Debbie Reese of Nambé Pueblo. It's newly updated for 2026. Shop it now on Bookshop at: https://lnkd.in/gWhvNcU6 #IndigenousPeoplesDay #BannedBooks

3,212 books were banned in 35 school districts across Florida during the 2025–26 school year. That’s the second largest number of book bans, behind only Texas, in our latest spotlight on school book bans. As #BannedBooksWeek draws to a close, we interviewed Stephana Ferrell, the co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project, about how she’s fighting to keep the Sunshine State out of the dark. In addition to providing invaluable data to PEN America as we compiled our new spotlight, the grassroots movement has informed countless residents of Florida about the who, what, and why behind the state’s alarming censorship. Read the full interview, and if you’re based in Florida, write a letter telling Florida’s Education Commissioner Henry Mack and your local school superintendent why the freedom to read matters in your community. Details at: https://lnkd.in/esmEPRSD

In our latest #BannedBooksWeek interview, PEN America spoke to Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of the YA novel Speak. According to our “Banned in the USA” list, Speak was the second most banned book during the 2025-26 school year, following Sold by Patricia McCormick. Both of the critically-acclaimed novels tackle themes of sexual violence. See the full list of the most-banned books topped in our latest “Banned in the USA” at: https://lnkd.in/gwFnpNvm

It’s #LetFreedomReadDay, and we’re asking everyone to take at least one action to fight book bans and censorship. Here are five things you can do to fight book bans in your community and beyond — today and every day. Learn more at: https://lnkd.in/ePxWzXED

What does it take to stand up to book bans? Sometimes, as Starry Steph explains, the answer is just “one voice.” See how you can take a stand during the #BannedBooksWeek Day of Action — and every day — at https://pen.org/action

It’s #LetFreedomReadDay, and we’re asking everyone to take at least one action to fight book bans and censorship. With close to 12,000 book bans this past school year, our Banned Books Bingo has lots of ways to take action to oppose book banning. Let us know in the comments if you get Bingo! Learn more at pen.org/action.

Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre has recently faced bans across four Texan school districts. The classic has a long, positive influence in Texas. It was the foundation for the Texas Bronte Club, a beneficial civic organization since 1855. So why was it banned? Texas' SB 13 law makes books deemed “profane” or “indecent” bannable. Though Jane Eyre is far from indecent, some districts have placed restrictions on anything written for adults, including classics. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eDDVq-4Z #JaneEyre #CharlotteBronte #BannedBooksWeek

"I grew up in Wisconsin, in a town so small we had no stoplights," writes Charles Jensen in a new essay for #BannedBooksWeek. "While the landscape was beautiful and the town a safe place to grow up, it was isolated intellectually and culturally. The nearest bookstore and movie theater were almost 20 miles away, the nearest city almost 40. "What my hometown did have was a library." Read more:

Florida has led the charge in book banning in America over the past five years and the state ranked second in the number of bans during the 2025-26 school year. For #BannedBooksWeek, PEN America spoke with Stephana Ferrell, a public school parent and co-founder of the Florida Freedom to Read Project. Learn how Ferrell debunks the most common misconceptions she hears about bans and explains how you can take action at: https://lnkd.in/esmEPRSD #BannedBooks #Florida

“Some of it happened. Some of it never happened. All of it is true.” Set in 1991, Adam Nelson’s debut novel, Huckleberry Jim (Workhouse Editions, 2026), follows Axel, a young man who, in trying to escape his past, accepts a contract playing Huck in a traveling theater performance of Huckleberry Finn. When he meets his costar Moses, who has played Jim for 15 years, the disparity between their life experiences, in race and in acting, becomes apparent to them both. As the pair travels, the line between their performance and reality thins, as racism and pushback from rural American communities makes the distance between 1991 and 1883 feel all too close. Huckleberry Jim is inspired by Nnelson’s real life experiences working as a children’s actor in a traveling performance of Huckleberry Finn. In this week’s PEN Ten interview, conducted by Senior Manager of Literary Programs Sabrina Adams, Nelson discusses the novel’s roots in his own life, confronting America’s distant and recent racist past, and the parallels between the crafts of acting and writing. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/eyHbt4Gq #Fiction #Debut #AuthorInterview