The Most-Banned Books in US Schools This Year

It's Banned Books Week, that time of year when the American Library Association highlights the risks to our freedom to read. This year's theme, on the dangers of censorship, is inspired by George Orwell's 1984, in which censorship is used to suppress free expression and maintain totalitarian control. It "serves as a reminder that censorship efforts persist to this day," says ALA President Cindy Hohl. There have been nearly 23,000 book bans in public schools across the country since 2021, including 6,870 this year, according to PEN America, which notes conservative groups are leading the charge in targeting books mentioning race, sex, LGBTQ+ issues, and diverse viewpoints. The most challenged books of the 2024-2025 school year:

• 1. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess—23 bans
• 2. Breathless by Jennifer Niven, Sold by Patricia McCormick—20 bans
• 4. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo—19 bans
• 5. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas—18 bans
• 6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins, Forever… by Judy Blume, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire—17 bans
• 10. All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, Damsel by Elana K. Arnold, The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend by Kody Keplinger, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout—16 bans