Surge in Book Challenges Press Kit

The American Library Association (ALA) champions and defends the freedom to read as promised by the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.

In recent months, a national campaign demanding the censorship of books and resources that mirror the lives of those who are gay, queer, or transgender, or that tell the stories of persons who are Black, Indigenous, or persons of color have surfaced. Efforts to ban books have empowered elected and non-elected officials to abandon constitutional principles, ignore the rule of law, and disregard individual rights, resulting in local and state governments attempting to censor library collections. Some individuals who have filed challenges have resorted to intimidation and threats to achieve removal, targeting the safety and livelihoods of library workers, educators, and board members who have dedicated themselves to public service and educating youth.

The American Library Association (ALA) kicks off National Library Week with the release of its State of America's Libraries Report, highlighting the challenges U.S. libraries faced in the second year of the pandemic – as well as the ways they innovated to meet the needs of their communities.

Library staff in every state faced an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021, resulting in more than 1,597 individual book challenges or removals. Most targeted books were by or about Black or LGBTQIA+ persons.

Top Ten Most Challenged Books of 2021 Infographic | ALT Text for Infographic: Top 10 Books of 2021: