News
Banned Books Week
October 04, 2026
October 4-10 is Banned Books Week. It is an annual event that highlights the value of free and open access to information. Libraries around the world "celebrate" by encouraging you to read banned books.
The 2025 data reported to the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) shows that the majority of book censorship attempts continue to originate from organized movements. In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers, up from 72% in 2024. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. OIF tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023. Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (40%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
Here are the top 11 books that were challenged in 2025, with links to check them out from your University Libraries!
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Identical by Ellen Hopkins
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout