Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in libraries, bookstores, and schools. Typically (but not always) held during the last week of September, the annual event highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community — librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers, and readers of all types — in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas. 

The next Banned Books Week will be held September 22-28, 2024. The theme of this year’s event is Freed Between the Lines.

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country. The Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2023 are:

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
   Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit

1. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
   Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit

1. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
   Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit

1. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
   Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity

1. Flamer by Mike Curato
   Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit

1. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   Reasons: Depiction of rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content

1. (TIE) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
   Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, depiction of rape, LGBTQIA+ content

1. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
   Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity

1. Let’s Talk About It by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
   Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content

1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
   Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of rape

Shareable social media assets for the Top 10 list and censorship data are available here.

The Most Challenged Books of 2024 list will be announced in early April 2025. Check out the Top 10 Most Challenged Books Archive for lists and data going back to 2001, as well as the 100 most challenged books of past decades.