Tag: banned books

For the first time since 2020, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe was not the most challenged book on the American Library Association’s list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in the United States. The graphic novel fell to No. 2 on the 2024 list, after All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson.

Flamer by Mike Curato, another graphic novel that’s been the subject of frequent challenges since it was published in 2020, landed at No. 10 on the list. The rest of the list featured books that have frequently been mentioned over the last few years in news coverage of book bannings, which isn’t surprising — the ALA says most of the challenges in 2024 were brought on by organized movements by pressure groups and politicians, rather than the random parent who saw what their kid was reading and freaked out.

“The movement to ban books is not a movement of parents, but a movement of partisans who seek to limit our freedom to read and make different choices about things that matter,” said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, Director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom. “All who care about libraries and personal liberty must stand together and join the movement to halt this assault on the freedom to read.”

The total number of books that were challenged also fell year-over-year for the first time since 2020, with the ALA reporting they received reports of 5,813 book challenges, down from 9,021 in 2023. But the reasons they gave for the drop are chilling in themselves — many book challenges are no longer being reported because doing so can bring “significant risk to a library worker’s professional livelihood and personal safety.” They also noted some states have passed laws restricting the type of materials available in libraries and schools based on the topics addressed in them, so certain books aren’t being shelved to begin with. But it’s not all doom and gloom — as many state legislatures use their power to ban books, others in California, Illinois, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey and
Washington adopted new legislation protecting the freedom to read and the library workers who defend that freedom for their communities.

Below is the full list of the most challenged books.

Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe’s touching graphic novel memoir about gender identity, topped the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books for 2022. It’s the second year in a row that Gender Queer has landed in the No. 1 spot.

The ALA’s annual top 10 list of the most challenged books expanded to 13 for 2022, which saw a record number of 1,269 book challenges for 2,571 unique titles (many challenges include more than one book). Most of the targeted books in the top 13 were written by or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people of color.

“By releasing the list of Top 10 Most Challenged Books each year, ALA recognizes all of the brave authors whose work challenges readers with stories that disrupt the status quo and offer fresh perspectives on tough issues,” said ALA President Lessa Kanani’opua Pelayo-Lozada. “The list also illustrates how frequently stories by or about LGBTQ+ persons, people of color, and lived experiences are being targeted by censors. Closing our eyes to the reality portrayed in these stories will not make life’s challenges disappear. Books give us courage and help us understand each other.”