Books most challenged in 2023 centered on LGBTQ themes, library organization says

More than half of the most challenged books in 2023 contained LGBTQ themes or characters, the American Library Association announced Monday in its annual list of most targeted titles.

Kicking off National Library Week, an observance co-sponsored by the American Library Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April, the leading librarian group revealed its 10 most challenged titles of 2023. Among the 10 books, seven titles on the list were challenged for its LGBTQ content.

"In looking at the titles of the most challenged books from last year, it’s obvious that the pressure groups are targeting books about LGBTQIA+ people and people of color," ALA President Emily Drabinski said in a statement. "At ALA, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what you want to read. Shining a light on the harmful workings of these pressure groups is one of the actions we must take to protect our right to read."

Since 2021, the United States has seen a surge in book bans and attempted bans. The number of books targeted for censorship increased by 65% in 2023 compared to 2022, hitting a record high since the ALA began compiling this data more than 20 years ago, according to the association's report released in March.

Last year, the ALA documented 4,240 works in schools and public libraries targeted. And in 2022, there were 2,571 books targeted for censorship.

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What were the 10 most challenged books?

Maia Kobabe’s "Gender Queer" topped the ALA's list for the third year in a row. The 2019 novel is a graphic memoir that details Kobabe’s journey of self-identity, including the author's exploration of gender identity and sexuality.

Kobabe’s memoir has often been cited and singled out by Republican lawmakers, who have argued certain books are inappropriate for children and should be removed from school libraries. The novel was targeted in a Virginia lawsuit that sought to declare the title as obscene for children and restrict its distribution to minors. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in August 2022.

Several other titles on the list have also long been targeted for banning attempts, including Nobel laureate Toni Morrison's "The Bluest Eye," which has been targeted since its release in 1970 for its depictions of racism and sexual abuse. 

The 10 most challenged titles of 2023 includes:

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

'Attacks on our freedom':Book bans on the rise in US public schools, libraries

Data is only a 'snapshot of book censorship'

The ALA has noted that its data represents just a "snapshot of book censorship throughout the year." Its data only includes book challenges reported to the association by librarians and from news stories published throughout the country.

Many challenges are often not reported to the ALA or covered in news stories, according to the association. But book bans have made national headlines due to recent efforts by Republican lawmakers and coordinated campaigns from conservative groups, such as Moms for Liberty.

The escalation in book challenges has been "supercharged" by recent state laws that determine the types of books that can be in schools and policies schools have to follow to add new books to their collections, according to the free speech advocacy group PEN America.

"These are books that contain the ideas, the opinions, and the voices that censors want to silence – stories by and about LGBTQ+ persons and people of color," ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom Director Deborah Caldwell-Stone said in a statement.

"Each challenge, each demand to censor these books is an attack on our freedom to read, our right to live the life we choose, and an attack on libraries as community institutions that reflect the rich diversity of our nation," Caldwell-Stone added. "When we tolerate censorship, we risk losing all of this. During National Library Week, we should all take action to protect and preserve libraries and our rights."

Contributing: Barbara VanDenburgh, USA TODAY; Douglas Soule, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida