"According to the American Library Association (ALA), there were more attempts to ban books in 2021 than at any time since the group began tracking three decades earlier. The latest, unprecedented wave of book banning is driven mainly by conservative parents and politicians, who are also behind extreme new censorship laws in many states that restrict what teachers and students can read and discuss in the classroom. Free speech defenders say the laws are a threat to intellectual freedom--and democracy itself"-- Publisher.

Introduction: a new wave of book banning -- Book bans, culture wars, and the freedom to read -- Banned and challenged: books that address race -- Banned and challenged: books with LGBTQ themes -- Banned and challenged: young adult novels that push boundaries -- Teaching and learning: caught between polarized views.