Stephen King, Jodi Picoult among most-banned authors in US schools

The best-selling horror writer Stephen King was the most-banned author over the past school year, according to a report by free-expression organisation PEN America. Photo / Getty Images

Best-selling horror writer Stephen King was the most-banned author over the past school year, according to a report by free-expression organisation PEN America, which found that his works had been restricted in 206 instances.

Before the report’s release, King posted on X, “I am now the most banned author in the United States - 87 books. May I suggest you pick up one of them and see what all the pissing & moaning is about?” Other authors whose works frequently appeared in the report include Ellen Hopkins, Jodi Picoult, and fantasy authors Elana K. Arnold, Sarah J. Maas, and P.C. and Kristin Cast.

For the period between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, the organisation documented 6870 instances of book bans, which it defines as any content-based action against a book that leads to student access being even temporarily curtailed. This total also includes books undergoing review to determine what restrictions to implement and books that are “banned by restriction”, allowing access only with parental permission, or only to certain grade levels or school levels. The previous year’s report documented just over 10,000 such bans.

The report also notes the emergence of statewide “no read” lists. In South Carolina, the State Board of Education can either decide to review a title on its own initiative or approve an individual’s appeal after a district decides to retain a challenged title, and thus prohibit it in public schools statewide. In Utah, if a certain number of districts or charter schools decide to restrict a book, it triggers a statewide ban. “Tennessee is the third state that enacted such a mechanism in 2024; however, it has not yet been reported as used,” the report states.

I am now the most banned author in the United States--87 books. May I suggest you pick up one of them and see what all the pissing & moaning is about? Self-righteous book banners don't always get to have their way. This is still America, dammit.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 26, 2025

“That’s definitely a trend that we’re watching,” said Kasey Meehan, director of the Freedom to Read programme at PEN America. “We may begin to see different state iterations of that in the coming years, in Florida or Texas.”

Manga creators, including Yusei Matsui, author of Assassination Classroom, and Atsushi Ohkubo, author of the Soul Eater and Fire Force series, ranked among the most-frequently restricted authors for the first time in the report’s history. Many of these titles became subject to scrutiny following the passage, in 2024, of a measure in Tennessee that prohibited school libraries from carrying materials with “nudity, or descriptions or depictions of sexual excitement, sexual conduct, excess violence, or sadomasochistic abuse”.

“It’s a very specific content area that was swept up under these larger reviews,” Meehan said, noting that the organisation may have undercounted bans, since districts often did not list manga titles correctly, or restricted entire series, which are often composed of dozens of titles.

The books that were restricted in the most districts, according to PEN America, were A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (in 23 districts), Breathless by Jennifer Niven (20 districts), Sold by Patricia McCormick (20 districts) and Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo (19 districts).

Sophia Nguyen is the news and features writer for the Books section at The Washington Post.

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