Efforts to ban books have persisted in American history, but those efforts are now reaching unprecedented heights – and both graphic novels as well as illustrated books are the targets. The American Library Association continues to champion and defends the freedom to read as promised by the First Amendment of the Constitution.
Over the past four decades, they’ve included Harry Potter and The Hunger Games, and books such as Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey, Drama by Raina Telgemeier, I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel.
More recently, alongside regularly challenged works such as The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Jeff Smith’s comic series Bone has been a hater’s target, as have Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, the acclaimed autobiographical graphic novel that’s topped the “Banned Book” list two years in a row, and Flamer, by Mike Curato.
According to censorship data released March 14, 2024, American Library Association has documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023, as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources. Pressure groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, often dozens or hundreds at a time, drove the surge.
The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023; school libraries saw an 11% increase over 2022 numbers. There were attempts to censor more than 100 titles in each of these 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts. Each attempt to ban a book represents a direct attack on every person’s constitutionally protected right to freely choose what books to read and what ideas to explore.
ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the data compiled by ALA represents a snapshot of book censorship. Read more about our methodology.
ALA will unveil the list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in the United States in 2023 on Right to Read Day, Monday 8th April, as part of the release of the 2024 State of America’s Libraries Report during National Library Week.
The American Library Association condemns censorship and works to defend each person’s right to read under the First Amendment and ensure free access to information.
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the United States. They compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools.
The lists are based on information from reports filed by library professionals and community members and from news stories published throughout the United States.
Here’s how the “book bans” of the would-be censors in true world’s largest democracy have changed over the last few decades and recent years…
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Top 20 most frequently challenged books: 1990-1999
• Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
• Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
• The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
• Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
• Forever, by Judy Blume
• Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
• Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
• The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
• The Giver, by Lois Lowry
• My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
• It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
• Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
• A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
• The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
• Sex, by Madonna
• Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel
• The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
Top 20 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
• Harry Potter (series) by J.K. Rowling
• Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
• The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
• Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
• I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
• Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
• His Dark Materials (series) by Philip Pullman
• ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series) by Lauren Myracle
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
• It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
• Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• Forever, by Judy Blume
• The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
• The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
• King and King by Linda de Haan
Top 20 Most Banned and Challenged Books: 2010-2019
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
• Captain Underpants (series) by Dav Pilkey
• Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
• Looking for Alaska by John Green
• George by Alex Gino
• And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
• Drama by Raina Telgemeier
• Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James
• Internet Girls (series) by Lauren Myracle
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
• I Am Jazz by Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Bone (series) by Jeff Smith
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
• A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss
• Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020
• George by Alex Gino
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
• Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
• All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
• Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and allegations of sexual misconduct by the author
• Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin
Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white saviour” character, and its perception of the Black experience
• Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message
Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021
• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
• Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
• Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term
• Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit
• This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
• Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022
Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the Top Most Challenged Books lists and 2022 data compiled by ALA represent only a snapshot of book challenges. A challenge to a book may be resolved in favour of retaining the book in the collection, or it can result in a book being restricted or withdrawn from the library.
ALA documented 1269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2571 unique titles targeted for censorship, the most challenged and reasons cited for censoring the books are listed below.
• Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Number of challenges: 151
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
• All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Number of challenges: 86
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
• The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Number of challenges: 73
Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, claimed to be sexually explicit
• Flamer by Mike Curato
Number of challenges: 62
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
Number of challenges: 55
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Number of challenges: 55
Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
• Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
Number of challenges: 54
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Number of challenges: 52
Challenged for: profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
• Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
Number of challenges: 50
Challenged for: depictions of abuse, claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Number of challenges: 48
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 48
Challenged for: drug use, claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Number of challenges: 48
Challenged for: profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
(tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
Number of challenges: 48
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit
• Right To Read Day – Official Site
Donations strengthen American Library Association’s efforts to fight censorship, support libraries and library workers undergoing challenges, and increase awareness about attempts to the nationwide assault on the freedom to read. If you’re able, please consider donating to the Office for Intellectual Freedom
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.
Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.
He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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