The Guardian - Book banning in the US has surged in the past few years, fueled by conservative backlash against discussions of race, LGBTQ+ issues, and diversity teaching in public schools. Last week, the Donald Trump administration instructed the Department of Education to end their investigations into these bans, calling them a “hoax”.
PEN America, one of America’s largest non-profits dedicated to protecting free expression in literature and beyond, warns that the current barrage of book bans and the growing traction of the movement is dangerously reminiscent of authoritarian regimes throughout history.
“What we’re seeing right now mirrors elements of different historical periods, but this has never all happened at once,” Jonathan Friedman, Sy Syms managing director for US free expression programs at PEN America, said.
“That is what makes this moment so unprecedented,” he added. “We are seeing multiple levels of law, of political officials from local school boards to the federal government all trying to exert new ideological control to censor what can be taught in schools.” More
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