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Banned Books Week: Sept. 22 - 28

The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 1,247 demands to censor library books and resources in 2023. 4,240 unique book titles were targeted for removal from schools and libraries. This tops the previous high from 2022 when 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship. Titles representing the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals made up 47% of those targeted in censorship attempts. Groups and individuals demanding the censorship of multiple titles, often dozens or hundreds at a time, drove this surge in 2023. Attempts to censor more than 100 titles occurred in 17 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin. These are the top 10 challenged books of 2023.

Library Staff
User from Princeton Public Library

14 items

  1. 1. Gender Queer

    a Memoir

    Kobabe, Maia,
    #1. Number of challenges: 106 Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Graphic Novel, 2019[St. Louis, Missouri] : Lion Forge, LLC, [2019] — Arts 741.5 Kob

  3. 3. This Book Is Gay

    Dawson, Juno,
    #3 Number of challenges: 71 Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2021Naperville, IL : Sourcebooks Fire, [2021] — YA 306.76 Daw

  4. 4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

    Chbosky, Stephen,
    #4. Number of challenges: 68 Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity
    Book, 2012New York : MTV Books/Gallery Books, [2012] — YA F Chb

  5. 5. Flamer

    Curato, Mike,
    #5. Number of challenges: 67 Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York, NY : Henry Holt and Company, 2020. — YA 741.5 Cur

  6. 6. The Bluest Eye

    a Novel

    Morrison, Toni, 1931-2019,
    #6. Number of challenges: 62 Challenged for: rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content
    Book, 2007New York : Vintage International, Vintage Books a division of Random House, Inc., 2007. — F Mor

  7. 7. Tricks

    Hopkins, Ellen,
    #7/8 (tied). Number of challenges: 56 Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content
    Book, 2009New York : Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009. — YA F Hop

  8. 8. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

    a Novel

    Andrews, Jesse,
    #7/8 (tied). Number of challenges: 56 Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
    eBook, 2012New York : Amulet Books, 2012.

  9. 9. Let's Talk About It

    the Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human

    Moen, Erika, 1983-
    #9. Number of challenges: 55 Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York : Random House Graphic, [2020] — YA GRAPHIC 306.7 Moe

  10. 10. Sold

    McCormick, Patricia, 1956-
    #10, Number of challenges: 53 Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, rape
    eBook, New York : Hyperion

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