In anticipation of Banned Books Week this week (September 22-28, 2024); the American Library Association has released preliminary data documenting attempts to censor books and materials in public, school, and academic libraries during the first eight months of 2024.
Between January 1 and August 31, 2024, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 414 attempts to censor library materials and services. In those cases, 1,128 unique titles were challenged. In the same reporting period last year, ALA tracked 695 attempts with 1,915 unique titles challenged. Though the number of reports to date has declined in 2024, the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020.
Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges, illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read. In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, taken off the shelves before they are banned, or not purchased for library collections in the first place.
The Office for Intellectual Freedom compiles data on book challenges from reports by library professionals and news stories published throughout the United States. Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the 2024 data compiled by the ALA represents only a snapshot of book censorship throughout the first eight months of the year.
Here are the top 10 books banned during the 2023 school year.
1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
Number of challenges: 106
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
Number of challenges: 82
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
3. This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
Number of challenges: 71
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Number of challenges: 68
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity
5. Flamer by Mike Curato
Number of challenges: 67
Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Number of challenges: 62
Challenged for: rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
7/8. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
Number of challenges: 56
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
7/8. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
Number of challenges: 56
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content
9. Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Number of challenges: 55
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content
10. Sold by Patricia McCormick
Number of challenges: 53
Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, rape
