Penguin Random House “Banned Wagon.” In September 2024, PRH’s truck visited some of the communities across the U.S. most impacted by book banning. They offered free books for all ages and resources for protecting the freedom to read. Credit – Courtesy Penguin Random House
In January, the Trump administration declared book bans a “hoax.” In fact the U.S. has seen a massive surge since 2021, with free expression nonprofit PEN America counting over 10,000 public school book bans in just the 2023-2024 school year. Nonprofits, schools, and parents aren’t the only ones battling it out—publishing giant Penguin Random House has jumped into the fray, suing Florida, Iowa, and other state governments on constitutional grounds to overturn legislation that gives school districts the green light to remove books with sexual content. Other major publishers and trade groups have joined the lawsuits, which have resulted in court injunctions in Iowa, Texas, and Arkansas. “We definitively believe in freedom of expression and the freedom to read,” says CEO Nihar Malaviya. Engaging “with differing viewpoints is a good thing.” But the company isn’t just playing legal defense. In 2024, it ramped up legislative advocacy efforts, working with a coalition of library and educator allies supporting “Freedom to Read” laws, which generally prohibit libraries from banning books for discriminatory reasons and strengthen legal protections for librarians. At least nine states have passed such bills since the start of 2024, and nearly two dozen others have seen similar laws proposed in recent legislative sessions.
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