American Library Association Shares Book Ban Data, List of ‘Most Challenged’ Titles of 2025

As part of National Library Week in the U.S., the yearly celebration of libraries and library workers, the American Library Association on April 20 released its 2026 State of America’s Libraries report, which, among its findings, includes statistics on book challenges for 2025 as well as the ALA’s annual list of Most Challenged books for the year.

In 2025, the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, marking the second straight year the number of tracked challenges has declined—although that figure is still significantly higher than the average number of challenges tracked prior to 2021, when a well-funded and organized right wing attack on libraries and the freedom to read began to take shape in the U.S. In 2024, ALA documented 821 attempts to censor materials and services at libraries, down from the record 1,247 challenges recorded in 2023.

But, in a twist, the number of unique titles challenged in 2025 spiked dramatically. ALA officials reported 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025, nearly matching the record of 4,240 tracked in 2023, and up significantly over the 2,452 unique titles challenged or banned last year.

To put that in perspective, from 2001 through 2020 the average number of unique book titles targeted for censorship each year was 273, as tracked by ALA, and the highest recorded number of unique titles challenged in any year during that 20-year period was 390. Furthermore, over that entire 20-year span leading up to 2021, a total of 3,637 unique titles were challenged by would-be censors, according to ALA—nearly 600 fewer titles than in 2025 alone.

While the number of challenges tracked has declined over the last two years, ALA officials are quick to point out that censorship attempts have not. Prior to 2021, ALA officials explained that most challenges were made by individuals and involved a single title. But in recent years, challenges have come from “organized pressure groups” and government officials and involve lists of titles.

In 2025, ALA found that 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups and government officials, up from 72% in 2024. Less than 3% of challenges in 2025 originated from individual parents. In 2005, just 6% of challenges came from pressure groups.

Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, some 40%(1,671) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.

“One key finding of 2025’s censorship landscape was the identity of intellectual freedom challengers. Contrary to common narratives suggesting that book challenges originate primarily from concerned parents, our data shows otherwise,” wrote Sarah Lamdan, executive director of ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, in this year’s State of America’s Libraries report. “Another thing that’s clear is that 2025’s censorship campaigns weren’t about protecting children—they were about erasing realities. A tiny cohort of people are trying to remove people’s lived experiences from library shelves.”

The Most Challenged Books of 2011

(Credit: ALA)

This year’s list of Most Challenged Books featured 11 titles, more than half of which are new to the list. The list includes:

1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (NEW TO THE LIST)
5. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by (NEW TO THE LIST)
6. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas (NEW TO THE LIST)
8. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (NEW TO THE LIST)
9. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins (NEW TO THE LIST)
10. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
11. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Those interested in learning more about censorship in U.S. libraries can visit ALA.org/BBooks. In addition, the ALA has also recently launched several new and updated resources, including the Censorship Search Portal (which allows people to search OIF’s database of challenged titles) and the Censorship Cases Bot on Bluesky (which, in partnership with the Free Law Project, tracks freedom to read litigation).

National Library Week 2026 is set to run through April 25. Among the highlights, Monday, April 20 is Right to Read Day, a day for readers, advocates, and library lovers to take action to protect, defend, and celebrate the right to read. Tuesday, April 21 is National Library Workers Day, a day to recognize the valuable contributions made by all library workers. Wednesday, April 22 is National Library Outreach Day (formerly National Bookmobile Day), and Thursday, April 23 is Take Action for Libraries Day, a day to rally advocates to support libraries.

Library Values

In their eloquent essay for the State of America’s Libraries report, ALA president Sam Helmick captured the moment facing libraries in 2026, as the nation celebrates it’s 250th Anniversary.

"For two and a half centuries, the story of America has been inextricably linked to the story of its libraries,” Helmick writes. "They are the places where the American story is both housed and written. However, as we review the landscape of the past year, it is evident that we have arrived at a pivotal moment.”

Amid censorship efforts, funding, and other policy challenges, Helmick urged library supporters to stand up and make the case for libraries as a fundamental American value.

“We need legislative frameworks that protect the freedom to read and the professional autonomy of library workers. Library workers must have a seat at the table to protect the privacy, consumer, and algorithmic rights of their patrons. Policy is the shield that ensures our institutions remain nonpartisan sanctuaries of information, free from the shifting winds of political ideology or economic enticements to detour from American rights and justice,” Helmick concludes. “Let us decide, right now, that libraries are not optional. They are the very breath of a free society and they are worth fighting for.”