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    • Book bans on the rise, hundreds challenged in Texas. See American trends
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    Book bans on the rise, hundreds challenged in Texas. See American trends

    Umito Posted on

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    Freedom is one of the central tenets of American life or, at the very least, of our marketing strategy. Patriotic phrases, songs and images revolve around freedom, free people and freedoms that cannot be taken away.

    However, this type of rhetoric is less important when it comes to available literature – and especially books made freely available to children. Parents’ rights groupspoliticians, librarians and publishers increasingly disagree about which books are suitable for young people.

    Through several surveys, Most Americans disagree with banning books. An American Library Association survey of public school voters and parents found that 71% oppose removing books from public libraries, including a majority of Democrats, Republicans and independents.

    Despite this, book challenges are on the rise across the country, affecting both public libraries and public school districts.

    People also read: How a national dispute over library books divides a small Texas town

    US sees record number of book bans in 2023

    In 2023, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom followed 1,247 attempts to censor books and other resources in libraries — an increase of 65% compared to the previous year. More than half of the challenged books featured LGBTQ+ themes and characters, as well as people of color.

    During the first eight months of 2024, the ALA detected 414 library censorship attempts involving challenges to 1,128 unique titles. These figures are a slight decrease compared to same reporting period last year, which saw 695 attempts targeting 1,915 unique titles. Despite fewer challenges this year, the numbers remain significantly higher than they were before 2020. Additionally, this data does not include all forms of restrictions.

    “Instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, are not used in library exhibits, or are hidden or kept out of access for fear of challenge, illustrate the impact of the campaigns of censorship organized on the freedom of reading of students and readers. ALA explains. “In some circumstances, books have been preemptively excluded from library collections, removed from shelves before being banned, or not purchased for library collections.”

    More: Texas County Libraries Call Native American History Book Fiction, Drawing Criticism

    LIST: Top 10 most contested books in 2023, United States

    The most contested books of 2023 in the United States, according to the ALAare as follows:

    1. “Genderqueer», by Maia Kobabe (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, allegedly sexually explicit)
    2. “Not all boys are blue”, by George M. Johnson (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, allegedly sexually explicit)
    3. “This book is gay», by Juno Dawson (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, allegedly sexually explicit)
    4. “The perks of Being a Wallflower”, by Stephen Chbosky (Reasons: allegedly sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity)
    5. “Flamethrower”, by Mike Curato (Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, allegedly sexually explicit)
    6. “The bluest eye“, by Toni Morrison (Reasons: rape, incest, allegedly sexually explicit, EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) content)
    7. (TIE) “Me, Earl and the dying girl», by Jesse Andrews (Reasons: allegedly sexually explicit, profanity)
    8. (TIE) “Tips”, by Ellen Hopkins (Reasons: allegedly sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content)
    9. “Let’s talk about it”, by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan (Reasons: allegedly sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content)
    10. “Sold», by Patricia McCormick (Reasons: allegedly sexually explicit, rape)

    The year 2023 has seen the greatest number of literary challenges ever documented

    Last year, the rate of book bans was the highest ever recorded by the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom, with 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship. This is an increase of 65% compared to data collected in 2022.

    Nearly half (around 46%) of all 2023 book challenges targeted public libraries, reflecting the attention of advocacy groups. Compared to 2022 data, the number of titles subject to censorship in public libraries increased by 92%.

    ALA President Emily Drabinski spoke about the importance of access to books that adequately reflect the diversity of communities and the nation.

    “Any challenge to a library book is an attack on our freedom to read. Targeted books focus again on LGBTQ+ and people of color. Our communities and our country are stronger through diversity. Libraries that reflect the diversity of their communities promote learning and an empathy that some people want to hide or eliminate,” Drabinski said. “Libraries are vital institutions for every community in this country, and library professionals, who have dedicated their lives to protecting our right to read, face threats to their jobs and well-being.”

    PEN America recorded similar data from public school districts. Book bans nearly tripled in the 2023-24 school year compared to the previous year.

    Which state has the most book challenges?

    The ALA revealed in a press release earlier this year that 17 states challenged more than 100 book titles in 2023. Florida and Texas, by far, challenged the most books in 2023, with a combined total of more than 4,000 titles.

    PEN America data shows Florida has the most book bans between July 2021 and December 2023, followed by Texas. Florida also leads with the most book bans in the 2023-2024 school year, with more than 4,500. Iowa surpassed Texas during that period, with more than 3 600 book bans.

    Last year, Texas was among 17 states that attempted to censor more than 100 titles.

    MAP: 2023 book challenges by state

    ALA recorded 49 attempts to restrict access to books in Texas, with 1,470 titles challenged during these attempts. The Lone Star State has seen the most attempted restrictions among U.S. states, and only Florida has surpassed it in number of contested titles.

    Why are books challenged?

    Of the 4,231 unique book titles banned in the 2023-24 school year, PEN America analyzed the 1,091 titles banned by two or more school districts nationwide. About 25% of all titles banned were banned by multiple districts. Many of these titles had similar content:

    • 57% included sex or sex-related topics and content
    • 44% included characters or people of color
    • 39% included LGBTQ+ characters or people

    The majority of banned books were aimed at young adult (60%) or adult (30%) readers. Additionally, many of the 1,091 titles shared literary themes:

    • 59% deal with grief and death
    • 40% address substance use or abuse
    • 38% deal with mental health disorders
    • 37% address empowerment and self-esteem

    — USA TODAY contributed to this report.

    Umito
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