Just 11 people were responsible for most 2021-2022 school book challenges. A Virginia woman challenged 71 out of the 73 books she read.

Sun, 10/01/2023 - 08:02

A bundle of banned books sits with a lock and chain around them. — A bundle of banned books that were removed from Spotsylvania County Public Schools this spring.
Julia Nikhinson/For The Washington Post via Getty Images

Over half of all book challenges made in the 2021-2022 school year came from just 11 adults.
One woman said she read 73 books, scanning for sexually explicit content, and challenged 71 of them.
Book challenges, once a school library issue, are becoming a community-wide library issue.

A Virginia woman dedicated herself to challenging at least one book per week — an effort that has caused a schism in her community as well as hours of unpaid labor for school librarians.