On April 7, the American Library Association (ALA) released its State of America’s Libraries 2025 report, an annual snapshot of library trends. The report is published during National Library Week, this year taking place April 6–12.
As in recent years, the 2025 report documented censorship in libraries from the previous year. In 2024, ALA recorded 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials across all library types. This is a decrease from the 1,247 attempts that were recorded in 2023 but still the third-highest number since ALA began tracking library censorship in 1990.
The book bans and challenges at public, school, and university libraries documented by ALA in 2024 involved 2,452 unique titles. Here are the 10 most-frequently challenged books:
- All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto by George M. Johnson
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
- (tie) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
- (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- Flamer by Mike Curato
According to the report, the most common reasons for book challenges were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and inclusion of topics on race, racism, equity, and social justice.
In 2024, organized groups—including pressure groups, board members, administrators, and elected officials—initiated nearly 72% of censorship attempts. That number is up from 2023, when organized campaigns were tied to 35% censorship attempts.
ALA also announced that the theme for Banned Books Week 2025 is “Censorship Is So 1984,” invoking the dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell. The book is a cautionary tale about the dangers of censorship. This year, Banned Books Week will take place October 5–11.
