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18 Book Censorship Posts to Revisit: Book Censorship News, February 27, 2026
Catch up with five years of censorship writing, ranging from how to fight book bans to the growth of unprofessional book reviews.
[a photo of a book on fire with the text Book Censorship News]
18 Book Censorship Posts to Revisit: Book Censorship News, February 27, 2026
Catch up with five years of censorship writing, ranging from how to fight book bans to the growth of unprofessional book reviews.
Kelly Jensen
Feb 27, 2026
Kelly Jensen
Editor
Kelly is a former librarian and a long-time blogger at STACKED. She's the editor/author of (DON'T) CALL ME CRAZY: 33 VOICES START THE CONVERSATION ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH and the editor/author of HERE WE ARE: FEMINISM FOR THE REAL WORLD. Her next book, BODY TALK, will publish in Fall 2020. Follow her on Instagram @heykellyjensen.
View All posts by Kelly Jensen
Having written this column since mid-2021, I sometimes forget what I’ve covered. In some ways, I haven’t written anything new in the world of book censorship because the tactics, goals, and outcomes have not changed much at all over the course of this significant era of censorship, even if the trends in how those means are achieved have.
This week, rather than drafting something fresh, let’s take the time to look back at some of the Literary Activism columns you may have missed from the previous several Januarys and Februarys. Catch up on what you may have missed, and remember that there is nothing exceptionally new in the book—just different names and faces trying to get their 15 minutes of manufactured outrage fame. We are seeing the results of these actions play out and if you’ve been watching or engaged, nothing is surprising. That doesn’t mean it isn’t infuriating, disgusting, or not in need to pushback. It just means that the groundwork’s been being laid so it is simply not surprising in the least.
How to Critically Read a Press Release From the Federal Government (2025)
“As we truly enter a new administration—one that has reiterated time and time again that things like mis- and dis- information are not real and that those who teach such literacy skills may find themselves losing the right to vote (!)—it is going to be vital to learn how to critically read press releases disseminating from the federal government.
Last week proved this as we saw the Department of Education announce that book bans were a hoax. While what the release stated was (partially) true, there was not only a lot of missing context to the press release, there was also a lotof response that indicated a lack of understanding about what the purpose of such a press release was. The release induced a lot of panic and anger, and while much of that was merited, that elicited response was intentional on the part of the new Department of Education.
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Let’s break down the press release to consider what it is and is not saying as a means of helping to practice critical literacy skills. This exercise is meant to help as we move through the next several years, as we will see such communication from the federal government happening over and over again.
Find the full press release below. If it is challenging to read as a screenshot, head to the Department of Education’s website to look at it in entirety (we will break it down into more readable bits as we go).”
56 Small Tasks to Be Proactive Against Book Censorship in 2025 and Beyond (2025)
“I’ve compiled a massive list of ideas for things you can do to not only effectively fight against book censorship but that also will increase your own knowledge, vocabulary, and fluency in the world of censorship as it is right now. Intended to be 52 tasks, one for each week; thanks to input and insight from several others working in the anti-book censorship space, there are a few more tasks than there are weeks in the year. This gives you the opportunity to choose one task per week with a few bonus tasks and/or gives you the chance to do more than one task a week when you have the capacity to do so.”
If you haven’t yet taken the time to look at the 2026 edition of this small tasks list, you can find it here.
To Defend Religious Freedom from the Trump Administration, We Need to Fight Book Bans (2025)
“Likewise, quippy retorts that people should ban the Bible because it doesn’t meet the standards of “appropriate” do more harm than good. Excitement over the instances where the Bible has been banned, however temporarily, says more about the person cheering’s biases than it does about their commitment to ending censorship. We don’t solve book bans by banning books, but we also don’t court the allyship of people of faith who want to ensure democratic institutions like libraries and public schools survive.
Faith is not what’s at the center of book censorship. It’s extremism and authoritarianism. Book censorship and the dismantling of public goods threatenreligious freedom, not protect it.
Today, I’m excited to have a guest piece from Reverend Paul Brandeis Raushenbush talking about the ways in which people of faith are engaged—and can be further engaged—against book censorship. Reverend Raushenbush is the President and CEO of Interfaith Alliance, an organization dedicated to protecting the integrity of both faith and democracy in America. He has been a champion for intellectual freedom, encouraging people to show up for their public libraries and schools to ensure their longterm existence.”
BookLooks, RatedBooks, and Other Unprofessional Book “Review” Sites to Know (2025)
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