RUTHERFORD COUNTY, Tenn. (WKRN) — According to a new report, Tennessee ranks third in the country with more than 1,600 books banned over the last year.

According to PEN America, a literary freedom of expression group, Florida had the most book bans with 2,304, followed by Texas with 1,781, and Tennessee with 1,622 between July 2024 and June 2025.

“The statistic to me isn't surprising; it is sad. It hurts my heart; it hurts my heart that we're normalizing restricting access to information,” Rutherford County Library Alliance Vice President Keri Lambert said.

The topic has led to hours of debate among school boards across the state including Rutherford County Schools.

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