Study Finds Women of Color Author a Disproportionate Share of Banned Books in American Schools

Schools and Libraries in the United States experienced a significant spike in book bans during the 2021-2022 academic year. According to a new study from scholars at Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and the University of Colorado, a disproportionate share of these banned books are written by women of color and include characters from diverse backgrounds.

For their study, the authors researched the 2,532 books that were banned during the 2021-2022 school year to identify any demographic patterns. The results revealed a significant portion of banned books were written by authors of color, particularly women of color who are over 4.5 times more likely to have their book banned than White authors. A large majority of banned books were children’s books about historical figures that include diverse characters, a genre primarily authored by women of color.

The report also revealed the areas that experienced the largest increase in book bans were right-leaning counties whose Republican-majority has decreased over the past two decades. Additionally, the authors found the public’s interest in these books was largely unaffected after they were banned.

The authors write, “Together, these results suggest that rather than serving primarily as a censorship tactic, book banning in this recent US context, targeted at low-interest children’s books featuring diverse characters, is more similar to symbolic political action to galvanize shrinking voting blocs.”