The American Library Assocation (ALA) has shared its annual report into banned books, and once against LGBTQ+ themed titles have topped the list.
Every year, ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools.
The lists are based on information from confidential reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States.
The ALA notes that in the USA the number of books being banned in different regions is growing, and the pushes to removed certain books can largely be traced back to organised movements.
The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. In 2024, ALA recorded the third highest number of book challenges since tracking began in 1990.
The most challenged book is George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue
Also making the list is Maia Kobabe’s graphic novel memoir Gender Queer which has also been the subject of legal challenges here in Australia. Alongside Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Stephen Cbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Looking for Alaska by Jon Green, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andres, Sold by Patricisa McCormick, and Flamer by Mike Curato.
Author Ellen Hopkins has two entries in the Top 10 with Crank and Tricks.
