This project, completed during my mentorship with the Data Visualization Society, uses open data from PEN America on banned books in the U.S. in 2021, overlaid with state political leanings. I used Mapbox to visualize the correlation between conservative tendencies and the types of banned books. While acknowledging the complex factors behind book bans, the goal is to spark discussion and encourage deeper understanding of the ideologies and stakeholders involved.
On the landing page, we see various books scattered across a red and blue spectrum, suggesting the correlation between banned books in primary and secondary schools and the political leanings of the state and district. By hovering over each redacted book cover, basic information about the book will be displayed.
Switching to the map page, the right side of the screen provides an overview of the most frequently banned books, while the bottom of the screen shows the number of banned books in each state.
By clicking on different school districts, the number of banned books in that district will be displayed. By clicking on the banned book list on the right, the districts where the book has been banned will be shown. You can also zoom in on the map to see more details.