"It's Bigger Than Just a Book Challenge": A Collective Case Study of Educators' Experiences With Censorship.

This article investigates the self-reported experiences of seven K–12 public school educators in the United States who faced book challenges and other forms of censorship, focusing on how they perceive and respond to these incidents. Using Pierre Bourdieu’s framework of cultural capital—embodied (professional ethics and dispositions), objectified (policies, book reviews, and materials), and institutionalized (professional knowledge and credentials)—the study reveals how educators draw on these resources to defend students’ intellectual freedom amid increasing censorship, particularly targeting books with diverse human experiences. The findings highlight a range of censorship forms, from formal challenges to covert removals, and emphasize the need for enhanced preparation and professional development to build educators’ cultural capital for navigating censorship. The study underscores the symbolic power struggles involved in censorship and calls for organized support from educational and library professional organizations to uphold students’ right to read.