Banned Books Week – The 10 Most Challenged Titles Of 2024

What is Banned Books Week? In this post to celebrate banned books week, we share the 10 most challenged titles of 2024.

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 5 – 11 October 2025. This year the theme is “Censorship Is So 1984. Read for Your Rights.”

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.’

The ALA continues: ‘New data reported to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) shows that the majority of book censorship attempts are now originating from organized movements. Pressure groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members and administrators initiated 72% of demands to censor books in school and public libraries.’

The 10 Most Challenged Titles Of 2024

1. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit .
2. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit.
3. (Tie) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Challenged for: depiction of sexual assault, depiction of incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI content.
4. (Tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, depiction of sexual assault, depiction of drug use, profanity.
5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit.
6. (Tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit .
7. (Tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity.
8. (Tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of drug use.
9. (Tie) Sold by Patricia McCormick. Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit, depiction of sexual assault.
10. Flamer by Mike Curato. Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit .

Source & Source

In The Past: Have a look at the most frequently banned titles in these years: 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

by Amanda Patterson

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