Once a book is published, it may be challenged throughout several decades. For example, the book 1984 by George Orwell was originally published in 1949, however it has consistently been banned or challenged throughout the years.
In April 2025, hundreds of books were removed from the U.S. Naval Academy's Nimitz Library. Most books removed were scholarly works on race, gender and identity. In addition, many books were removed from Department of Defense schools. Students, led by the ACLU, filed suit against the DOD. Many of these titles were censored if they referenced, "slavery, civil rights, race, ethnicity, immigration, diversity, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity." For more see: ABC News and AP News. The Guggenheim Library has many of these titles in our collection, you can check them out in the gallery below.
In February 2025, three book author events were canceled at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library & Museum, needing "approval from Washington for all programming." The book topics included climate change, homelessness, and the civil rights movement by authors Elaine Weiss, Mike Tidwell, and Brian Goldstone. For more see: NY Times
November 2024 - PEN America released a report of public school book bans for 2023-2024 school year showing a 200% rise over the previous year in book bans. The most banned was Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. For more see: PEN America
