Stephen King is the author most affected by US censorship, with 87 books removed from school libraries in the last year alone. The writer himself says it. “I am now the most banned author in the United States with 87 books. Might I suggest picking one up and seeing what they complain about? Moralistic censors don’t always get what they want. This is still America, damn it,” with these words published on social media the master of American horror reacted to the new Pen Club America reportwhich crowns him – despite himself – the most censored writer in the country. According to the American organization that fights for freedom of expression, his novels were banned in 206 different cases in the 2024-2025 school year alone, particularly in the states of Texas, Florida and Tennessee, strongholds of the Republican right.
Because his books were removed
Behind censorship there is not a wave of spontaneous moralism, but a tense and polarized political climate, in which education has become a terrain of ideological conflict. King’s books – like those of other contemporary authors, including Ellen Hopkins and Sarah J. Maas – have been removed from school shelves due to the themes they deal with: gender identity, sexuality, migration, violence and discrimination.
Pen Club America reports a system in which school leaders are intimidated by political pressureeven threatened with funding cuts if they do not adapt libraries to dominant ideological preferences. The same association speaks of a growing “censorship militancy” on the part of politicians, accentuated since the Trump administration.
Over the last school year, there were 6,870 incidents of censorship recorded in U.S. schools, down from a peak of more than 10,000 the previous year but still well above pre-2022 levels. Florida remains the most active state in book removals, with approximately 2,000 titles banned. A trend in line with the policies of Republican governor Ron DeSantis, known for his positions against “ideological indoctrination” in schools.
King’s success and criticism
The global success of Stephen King – author of masterpieces such as ‘The Shining’, ‘It’ and ‘Carrie’ – has never shielded him from criticism, especially from conservative movements. Very active on social media, King has long been a fierce critic of Trumpism, and his political positions have often ended up in the crosshairs of the American right. In a cultural climate where the word “woke” has become an insult, even telling stories of outcasts, inner monsters or youth rebellions can be seen as a subversive act. And this is precisely what seems to make it so uncomfortable today. (by Paolo Martini)