According to data from the American Library Association (ALA), the first six months of 2023 brought challenges to 1,195 unique book titles. Last year saw a record 2,751 individual book titles challenged, nearly twice the amount in 2021. As defined by ALA, "a challenge is an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group. A ban is the removal of those materials."
The titles in this collection represent many of the most frequently challenged and/or banned books in the last year and decade, an overwhelming majority written by or featuring persons of color and members of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Via ALA's website, "Banned Books Week (October 1-7, 2023) is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read...it spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the event brings together the entire book community — librarians, booksellers, publishers, journalists, teachers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular. The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship."
Challenged For: Profanity, drug use, claimed to promote anti-police views.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#2 Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Violence, religious viewpoints, and claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: Offensive language, claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: Profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#8 Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#3 Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Violence and imagery claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, imagery claimed to be sexually explicit.
#1 Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Offensive language, sexual violence, claimed to promote Islam and terrorism.
Challenged For: Profanity, sexual violence, themes claimed to be anti-Christian.
Challenged For: Offensive language, drug use, views claimed to be anti-police.
Challenged For: Violence, offensive language, themes claimed to be unethical.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#5 (tie) Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, sexual references; claimed to conflict with a religious viewpoints and traditional family structure.
Challenged For: Depictions of abuse, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#9 Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#5 (tie) Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: Gambling, offensive language, political viewpoints, depictions of violence.
Challenged For: Sexual violence, profanity, viewpoints thought to create negative bias towards male students.
Challenged For: Author’s public statements, claims of Marxist ideologies, anti-American viewpoints, and promotion of Critical Race Theory.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, and sexual references.
Challenged For: Offensive language, racism, and reference to sexual violence.
Challenged For: Sexual themes and references, claimed to be explicit.
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, explicit language, graphic depiction of domestic and sexual violence.
Challenged For: Graphic sexual content, claimed to be explicit.
#10 (tie) Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: Profanity, underage drinking/drug use, themes of domestic violence and abuse.
Challenged For: Offensive language and reference to sexual assault.
Challenged For: Profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#10 (tie) Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit.
#10 (tie) Challenged Book '22
Challenged For: LGBTQIA+ content, violence, substance use, claimed to be sexually explicit.
Challenged For: Offensive language, violence, sexual and racial themes claimed to be too mature for suggested reading age.