Katie Spoon, a Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado, conducted a study on banned books, focusing on children’s picture books that have faced bans in some U.S. school districts. She discovered that over 2,500 books were banned nationwide during the 2021-22 school year, with a significant number being children’s books featuring diverse characters and authored by women of color. Spoon’s research highlighted a correlation between book bans and changes in political demographics, noting a trend where districts with declining Republican support were more likely to implement bans. She emphasized concerns about the implications of book banning on access to information in democratic societies.
