Study shows: Book bans target different authors and characters

There are increasing attempts in schools and libraries to remove books that some consider controversial from their shelves. A new study shows that these books are often about and written by people from underrepresented groups.

Katie Spoon, a doctoral student at the University of Colorado Boulder and co-author of the study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus, categorized the more than 2,000 books that will be banned in schools and libraries in 2021 and 2022.

“We noticed that most of the books were children’s books with different characters,” Spoon said.

About 10% of the banned books were LGBTQ+-themed young adult romance novels. The analysis also found that books with problematic themes were nearly five times more likely to be written by authors of color than white authors. About a quarter of the banned books’ authors were women of color, who are more likely to write children’s books with diverse characters.

This is in line with data from the American Library Association showing that half of the books slated for bans in 2023 were about or written by LGBTQ+ people or people of color. In the Mountain West, Idaho, Utah and Colorado, a total of more than 100 books were challenged for removal or restriction last year, by far the highest number in the region.

The CU Boulder study also found that districts with book bans were not necessarily the most conservative. In fact, book bans were more likely to occur in areas that had lost conservative ground over the past two decades.

“It looks to us like there are political motives behind this in addition to censorship,” Spoon said.

This year, some states in the Mountain West have passed laws making it easier to restrict access to books. In Idaho, libraries now face lawsuits if they don’t restrict children’s access to “obscene or harmful material.” Utah could order certain books banned from public schools statewide before the new school year. Colorado, meanwhile, has passed a law designed to protect libraries from attempts to remove books.

This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration among Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio (KNPR) in Las Vegas, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations throughout the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.