Banned Books Week – The 10 Most Challenged Titles Of 2023

In this post to celebrate banned books week, we share the 10 most challenged titles of 2023.

What is Banned Books Week?

‘Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign promoted by the American Library Association and Amnesty International, that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individuals.’ (via)

Banned Books Week is the book community’s annual celebration of the freedom to read. This year the week is celebrated from September 22-28, 2024.

Banned Books Week was launched in 1982 in response to a surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookshops and libraries.

The ALA (American Library Association) says: ‘A challenge is defined as a formal, written complaint, filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness. The number of challenges reflects only incidents reported. We estimate that for every reported challenge, four or five remain unreported.’

Read the list of the top most challenged books of 2023.

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity.
5. Flamer by Mike Curato. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Reasons: Depiction of rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content.
7. (TIE) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, depiction of rape, LGBTQIA+ content.
8. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews.by Jesse Andrews. Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity.
9. Let’s Talk About It by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan. Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content.
10. Sold by Patricia McCormick. Reasons: Claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of rape.

Have a look at the most frequently banned titles in these years: 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

by Amanda Patterson

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