"What would our world be like without books? They engage and expand our minds, our creativity, our knowledge of the world. They challenge us to examine long-held notions about religion, government, race, and sexuality. They inspire us to be better humans." Karen Pape started this series, De-circulated one afternoon in 2021 when she began to understand the extent of the book banning in US schools. When she was growing up in a small town in rural Virginia, books were her lifeline. They introduced her to other countries, different political viewpoints, and notions of freedom and justice. The written word developed Pape's mind’s eye - allowing her to envision a world beyond her small town and giving her the courage to leave home. It is distressing to her that the alternate viewpoints which allowed her to develop an inquiring and critical mind as a young person are being eliminated for our youth today. Most of the books being banned have Black or Brown protagonists or deal with issues of racism, sexuality, or gender. Consequently, young people already struggling with identity and acceptable role models are being denied opportunities to expand their knowledge and strengthen their voices through books. Authors whose books are targeted are most often female, people of color, and or LGBTQ+ individuals. Books that are being banned have already been selected by librarians and educators as part of educational offerings to students. Those choices have been overridden in response to complaints by conservative advocacy groups, parents, state legislators, and zealous individuals. In the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America recorded 3,362 instances of book bans in US public school classrooms and libraries. These bans removed student access to 1,557 unique book titles - the works of over 1,480 authors, illustrators, and translators. This represents an increase of 33 percent from the 2021-2022 school year. Since 2021, over 2,823 unique book titles have been banned in public schools across the country. Over 40 percent of all book bans occurred in school districts in Florida. Across 33 school districts, PEN America recorded 1,406 book ban cases in Florida, followed by 625 bans in Texas, 333 bans in Missouri, 281 bans in Utah, and 186 bans in Pennsylvania.