A grassroots nonprofit that emerged to broaden representation in publishing is rolling out a new initiative as school and library book challenges continue to ripple across the United States. We Need Diverse Books, widely known as WNDB, says the new program is designed to respond directly to the growing number of bans and restrictions that have limited what students can access on shelves and in classrooms.
On Tuesday, the organization announced the creation of the Unbanned Book Network. The program will provide donations of books written by authors whose work has been banned, while also building a support structure for communities where bans are being contested. WNDB said it will begin by working with twenty under-resourced schools located in states where book bans have been especially common, including Texas and Florida.
The organization is positioning the network as both practical and symbolic: books placed directly into students’ hands, paired with visible, public-facing support. In a climate where titles can disappear quietly from a curriculum or a library display, the network’s premise is straightforward: restore access, and do it in a way that reminds students they are not alone in wanting the freedom to read.
Author ambassadors on the front lines
A central part of the Unbanned Book Network is the selection of Author Ambassadors. WNDB says these ambassadors will be assigned to school districts dealing with bans, offering a form of advocacy tied to lived experience. The initial list includes Ellen Oh, LeUyen Pham, and Meg Medina, writers who have all seen their own books banned or restricted.
WNDB CEO Dhonielle Clayton framed the moment as a dual challenge, linking literacy and censorship in the same breath. In a statement, Clayton said the country is confronting an ongoing literacy crisis while also seeing rising censorship that, in her view, undermines students’ right to read. She said WNDB intends to confront both issues directly through the Unbanned Book Network, emphasizing the capacity of diverse literature to shape young people’s lives and strengthen communities.
In practice, the ambassador model signals something beyond a donation drive. It suggests relationship-building: a recognizable author presence connected to a district, a person who can speak to why stories matter, and a reminder that contested books are not abstract objects but creative works tied to real people and real readers.
A broader surge, and the roots of WNDB
The new program arrives amid data pointing to a sharp rise in book challenges over the last several years. PEN America and the American Library Association have both reported significant increases in bans during the past four years. Among the titles frequently challenged are Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer,” Toni Morrison’s “The Bluest Eye,” and George M. Johnson’s “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” books that have repeatedly appeared in public debates over what is considered appropriate for young audiences.
WNDB is not the only group responding. Publishers and free-expression advocates have launched a range of efforts aimed at countering bans, including Penguin Random House’s “Banned Wagon Tour” and the coalition United Against Book Bans. That coalition includes partners spanning major publishers such as HarperCollins and Hachette Book Group, as well as organizations like the library association and the Authors Guild. Separately, publishers have also initiated or supported legal actions challenging bans in states including Utah and Iowa.
The organization’s own history is rooted in a different, but related, fight over access and representation. We Need Diverse Books began in 2014 as a Twitter hashtag, created in response to an industry long criticized for being predominantly white. While some publishers have since introduced diversity programs and surveys suggest incremental change, the workforce remains far from reflecting the breadth of the reading public. A Lee & Low Books study released in 2023 found that about seventy-two percent of publishing staff were white, compared with seventy-nine percent reported in the company’s 2015 study, a shift that indicates movement, but also the persistence of the underlying imbalance.
