Removing books from library shelves is no longer just a story of objections from a local community or an individual parent, the American Library Association says.
In its new State of American Libraries Report released Monday, the ALA found more than 70% of attempted removals of a given title or titles come from organized groups and elected officials, and just 16% originated with a parent.
The most commonly criticized books, including Maia Kobabe’s “Gender Queer” and the late Toni Morrison's “The Bluest Eye,” can be found on such websites as www.ratedbooks.org and through lists compiled by Moms for Liberty and other conservative activists.
“We can trace many of the challenges to lists of books that ha ve been distributed by Moms for Liberty and other groups," said Deborah Caldwell-Stone, who directs the association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.
As part of its annual report, the ALA unveiled its 10 most “challenged books” of 2024, starting with George M. Johnson's “All Boys Aren't Blue,” which like most on the list includes explicit discriptions of sexual enounters.
Others include “Gender Queer,” Stephen Chbosky's “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and John Green's “Looking for Alaska.”
Most of the books have LGBTQ+ themes, continuing a yearslong trend. Other objections include references to drug addiction, such as in Ellen Hopkins' “Crank,” and to slavery and sexual abuse, including those in Patricia McCormick's “Sold.”
Toni Morrison's 1970 Nobel-winning "The Bluest Eye, about a Black girl growing up during the Depression, includes issues of racism, incest and child sexual abuse.
The ALA defines a challenge as a “formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness.” The association, which compiles censorship data through media accounts and reports from librarians, has long believed the actual number of challenges is far higher than the numbers cited in its annual studies.
The report comes at an especially perilous time for libraries. The Trump administration is implementing drastic cuts at the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which already is canceling grants to state libraries.
Bans have surged in recent years and several states, from Florida to Texas to Iowa and Utah, have passed laws restricting what school libraries can acquire.
Florida officials have said the state's laws are in place to remove “sexually explicit materials” from schools. According to recent reports, Florida has had more removals than any state.
And lawmakers are considering a bill that would prevent schools from considering a book’s “potential literary, artistic, political, or scientific value” when it’s challenged for being “harmful to minors.”
While the ALA is reporting a sharp drop in challenges in 2024, down to 821 attempts compared to 1,247 the year before, the number remains far higher than before 2021.
However, libraries are now more likely to avoid stocking books that are controversial, or may be prohibited by law, Caldwell-Stone says.
“I spoke to a librarian from Texas who told me she was looking over a political book and wasn't sure if she could add it to the collection,” Caldwell-Stone said. “Librarians don't want to get prosecuted or otherwise face legal trouble. A lot of librarians are operating under these kinds of threats.”
The 10 Most Challenged Books of 2024:
1. “All Boys Aren’t Blue,” by George M. Johnson
2. “Gender Queer,” by Maia Kobabe
3. (Tie) “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison
3. (Tie) “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
5. “Tricks,” by Ellen Hopkins
6. (Tie) “Looking for Alaska,” by John Green
6. (Tie) “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,” by Jesse Andrews
8. (Tie) “Crank,” by Ellen Hopkins
8. (Tie) “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick
10. “Flamer,” by Mike Curato
