How many banned books are in the US?

Answer 1

There are no doubt millions of copies of books within the U.S. that have been banned by someone somewhere. However, I think your question may have been how many books are currently banned in the U.S. Nationally, there has been little attempt to ban books at the federal level since the McCarthy era (c. 1950s). Most book banning since the 1950s in the U.S. has been directed at local libraries and schools by special interest groups and kooks. Their targets have included the dictionary (because it listed one of many definitions of intercourse as "sexual'), Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice (because it portrayed a Jewish man in a bad light), Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (because it perpetuated a negative stereotype of a black slave), the Holy Bible (because it contained vulagrity and divisiveness) and Harry Potter (because it fostered a positive impression of wizardry). Most of these local attempts to ban books are premised on the idea that the work contains explicit or questionable sexual acts, bad language, negative stereotyping and/or unsavory values. For a fuller discussion, see http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html or the American Library Association at ala.org.

Answer 2

All of the Baum books written before "The Wizard of Oz" entered the public domain at one time or other have been banned.

Specifically, fundamentalist Christians, librarians and teachers developed a hostile attitude towards the books in the royal histories of Oz series by Lyman Frank Baum (May 15, 1856 - May 6, 1919). Particularly in regard to "The Wizard of Oz," they criticized the lack of a divine presence in any of the books. They acted to get the books banned as unacceptable, atheistic role models not to be available to young minds in libraries or schools.

Answer 3

There is no definitive number of banned books in the US, as the list constantly changes due to challenges in different schools, libraries, and communities. The American Library Association tracks challenges and bans, with hundreds of books being challenged each year. However, many banned books are still accessible through alternative means.