Stephen King has been writing stories that send a chill down our spines for one reason or the other; however, his books might not please everyone. Taking to X, the author condemned the banning of his books in America, deeming himself the “most banned author in the United States“.
He revealed that a whopping 87 books of his have been banned in the country, and then proceeded to call out the decision-makers. King stated that instead of complaining about his work, they should pick up a book and read it.
I am now the most banned author in the United States–87 books. May I suggest you pick up one of them and see what all the pissing & moaning is about? Self-righteous book banners don't always get to have their way. This is still America, dammit.
To make things clear, King’s books aren’t exactly banned in the USA. Instead, they have been pulled from school libraries, mainly due to their s*xually explicit content. Florida is one of the states that has banned the highest number of King novels.
Last year, King reacted to the state banning 23 of his books in its school district, taking to X to write, “Florida has banned 23 [of] my books. What the f*ck?” (via Newsweek).
Some of the books banned include The Gunslinger, The Running Man, which has been turned into a film, Carrie, Four Past Midnight, Bag of Bones, It, The Long Walk
Stephen King Has a Message for Kids Who Want to Read His Books Despite the Ban
Stephen King has been facing the wrath of the ban for a long time now. In 1992, he wrote a column for The Bangor Daily News (via StephenKing.com), titled The Book-Banners: Adventure in Censorship is Stranger Than Fiction.
In the write-up, he mentions Florida banning two of his books, The Dead Zone and The Tommyknockers, from middle school libraries, while restricting them in high school libraries so that students need a permission slip from their parents before borrowing them.
King left a message for kids who want to read his books, but can’t due to the ban. He discouraged them from protesting or organizing rallies against their school’s decision. Instead, he urged them to go and support public libraries where his books would easily be available.
He wrote,
First, to the kids: There are people in your home town who have taken certain books off the shelves of your school library. Do not argue with them; do not protest; do not organize or attend rallies to have the books put back on their shelves. Don’t waste your time or your energy. Instead, hustle down to your public library, where these frightened people’s reach must fall short in a democracy, or to your local bookstore, and get a copy of what has been banned.
He also had a message for the parents, motivating them to fight for their children’s rights to read “good books – books that make us think and feel.” King also pointed out how some of the best authors, including Mark Twain, J.D. Salinger, and John Steinbeck, have also been banned in the country.
Stephen King Is Almost Done With His Next Book
A few months ago, Stephen King released his crime fiction novel, Never Flinch, revolving around the recurring character, Holly Gibney. Now, his loyal fans are waiting for the next big book to add to their collection – Talisman 3.
The novel is the third and last part of the popular trilogy, The Talisman, which was written by Stephen King and the late author Peter Straub. The first book in the series was released in 1984, with its sequel, Black House, dropping in 2001.
While there was chatter about the third book ever since the release of Dark House, nothing ever came to fruition. Unfortunately, Straub passed away in 2022 at the age of 79.
In August 2023, King revealed that he might continue the Talisman series, adding that Straub sent him a “long letter and said, ‘We oughta do the third one,’ and he gave me a really cool idea, and I had some ideas of my own” (via The Guardian)
Earlier this year, he confirmed on Threads that Straub had a “terrific idea” for the third book, and that it would be dual credit despite his passing.
Finally, in July, he revealed that “Talisman 3 is almost done“, much to the delight of his fans. Are you an avid reader of Stephen King’s work? If so, then how excited are you for the new book on a scale of 1-10? Let us know in the comments section below!
