Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR
Meghan Collins Sullivan/NPR
The number of reported book challenges has doubled in 2022 — and the number of challenges for unique titles has increased by nearly 40% from 2021 — according to data compiled by the Office of Intellectual Freedom. wisdom of the American Library Association published on Monday.
Each year, the ALA publishes data on the books it considers the most frequently challenged to remove from school and public library shelves. While the team says it’s impossible to track every challenge and many challenges go unreported, the data comes from a variety of sources, including news stories and voluntary reports submitted to the Freedom Office Wisdom.
This year’s report includes an expanded list of the 13 most challenged books by 2022, as there were the same number of ban attempts on some of the books. Overall, the ALA says that 2,571 unique titles have been banned or challenged.
Again this year, Homosexuality via Maia Kobabe, published in 2019, topped the ALA’s list. Graphic memoirs following Kobabe’s path to gender identity are non-binary and eerie. Most of the books on the list have been challenged with claims that include LGBTQIA+ or pornography.
There are several titles on this year’s list that are new from 2021, including fire by Mike Curato, Find Alaska by John Green, The perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Choosky, Fog and fury court by Sarah J. Maas, and Winch by Ellen Hopkins.
Eight of the titles remained on the list for many years.
The most challenging books of 2022
Here are the books that the ALA tracks as having the most challenges in 2022 (with a 4-way tie for 10th place):
first. Homosexuality via Maia Kobabe — LGBTQIA+ content, declared pornographic
2. All boys are not blue via George M. Johnson — LGBTQIA+ content, declared pornographic
3. Bluest eye by Toni Morrison — rape, incest, claims to be pornographic, EDI . content
4. fire by Mike Curato — LGBTQIA+ content, allegedly pornographic
5. Search Alaska by John Green — allegedly pornographic, LGBTQIA+
6. The perks of being a Wallflower by Stephen Choosky — claims to be pornography, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity
7. lawn boy by Jonathan Evison — LGBTQIA+ content, allegedly pornographic
8. The Totally True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie — declared obscene, obscene
9. out of the dark via Ashley Hope Perez– claims to be pornographic
ten. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews — claimed to be obscene, obscene
ten. This book is gay by Juno Dawson — LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, declared pornographic
ten. Fog and fury court by Sarah J. Maas — claims to be pornographic
ten. Winch by Ellen Hopkins – allegedly pornographic, drugs
