1 month ago
The American Library Association (ALA) has reported a grounds precocious successful nan number of books banned successful US libraries.
In 2025, 5,668 books were banned – representing 66% of nan full number challenged – pinch an further 920 censored done entree restriction, specified arsenic relocation connected nan room shelves.
The most-banned book successful 2025 was Sold, a 2006 caller by Patricia McCormick astir activity trafficking successful India. Other often challenged titles see The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas.
According to nan ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), challenges were recorded against 4,235 unsocial titles successful 2025. That fig is nan 2nd highest since nan organisation began search censorship information much than 30 years ago, topped only by 4,240 titles successful 2023.
The ALA besides recovered that 40% of nan materials challenged this twelvemonth progressive representations of LGBTQ+ group aliases group of colour.
The organisation usually publishes an yearly database of nan 10 most-banned books, but this twelvemonth included 11 aft 4 titles tied for eighth place. The database is compiled based connected ALA study of 713 attempts to censor room materials and services successful 2025. Of those attempts, 487 targeted books.
The study besides recovered that challenges are becoming much coordinated and politically driven: 92% came from unit groups, decision-makers aliases authorities officials, compared pinch 72% successful 2024. By contrast, 2.7% were attributed to parents and 1.4% to individual room users.
“In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not nan consequence of section grassroots efforts,” said Sarah Lamdan, executive head of OIF. “They were portion of a well-funded, politically driven run to suppress nan stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and Bipoc individuals and communities.”
The ALA defines a “challenge” arsenic an effort to region aliases restrict entree to a room resource, while a “ban” refers to nan removal of materials from a library.
Several US states, including Florida, Texas and Utah, person enforced laws that limit aliases region books from schools, focusing connected contented related to intersexual orientation, gender personality and materials considered “harmful to minors”. In Iowa, an appellate tribunal ruled earlier this month that nan authorities tin instrumentality a rule restricting chat of LGBTQ+ topics successful definite schoolhouse grades and banning immoderate books.
The ALA’s database of nan astir challenged books of 2025:
1 Sold, by Patricia McCormick
2 The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
3 Gender Queer: A Memoir, by Maia Kobabe
4 Empire of Storms, by Sarah J Maas
5 (tie) Last Night astatine nan Telegraph Club, by Malinda Lo
5 (tie) Tricks, by Ellen Hopkins
7 A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J Maas
8 (tie) A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
8 (tie) Identical, by Ellen Hopkins
8 (tie) Looking for Alaska, by John Green
8 (tie) Storm and Fury, by Jennifer L Armentrout
