Texas attempted more book bans in 2022 than any other state

Texans led the nation in the charge to censor books and other reading materials in 2022, according to a recent report from the American Library Association (ALA). New data found that the Lone Star State outpaced everyone else with 93 attempts to ban 2,349 titles—nearly double that of the second-ranked state, Pennsylvania, which made 56 attempts to restrict 302 titles. 

These numbers reflect a nationwide trend toward book bans, many of which target works by members of the LGBTQ+ community and people of color, per the ALA. 

Pulling from a compilation of reports filed by library professionals and news articles, the organization flagged a record 1,269 demands to remove 2,571 unique titles nationwide—a sharp jump from 729 demands in 2021. Data from past years also found that book bans previously targeted a single title, but in 2022, 90 percent of book challenges sought to remove multiple works.

The 2022 report identified the biggest drivers of this movement as parents, who initiated 30 percent of the book ban attempts. They were closely followed by library patrons who initiated 28 percent of the challenges. About 17 percent of the complaints came from religious or political groups, and 15 percent came from school boards and administrators. The rest came from librarians, teachers, elected officials, and other community members.

Based on the most challenged titles of 2022, the ALA stated on its site that the findings are “evidence of a growing, well-organized, conservative political movement, the goals of which include removing books about race, history, gender identity, sexuality, and reproductive health from America’s public and school libraries that do not meet their approval.”

In Texas, the most embattled title was Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” the story of an 11-year-old Black girl set in the 1940s. It’s been widely challenged for its depiction of sexual abuse; sexually explicit content; and themes of equity, diversity, and inclusion, per the ALA. 

Proposals to limit access to this and other books have gained traction across the state, according to a spate of news reports. In February, former Houston-area pastor Rick Scarborough said he would launch a campaign to expunge “every immoral book in the library.” One month later, the Spring Branch ISD school board voted to make it easier to remove certain titles from library shelves, and, as the Houston Chronicle’s Claire Goodman reported, Katy ISD soon followed suit. Meanwhile, a North Texas school board official from Granbury ISD garnered heavy criticism for allegedly entering a school library without permission to inspect it for inappropriate content, according to WFAA’s Adriana De Alba.

Texas legislators have also picked up the fight. Per previous reporting, lawmakers voted this year to pass House Bill 900, also known as the Readers Act, which mandated book vendors to rate school books based on sexual content. The law, which stirred multiple booksellers to legal action, was set to go into effect Sept. 1 before a judge suspended its enforcement.