Book banning has been around for centuries, but bans have increased exponentially over the past several years. School libraries are being forced to restrict or remove books, and teachers are having to remove books from their classrooms and curriculum; some public libraries have even been forced to remove books from their shelves. The American Library Association (ALA) reports that 4,240 books were challenged or banned across the United States, which is 65 percent more titles than were banned or challenged in 2022. Below is a list of the top ten banned books from 2023, as well as their reasons for being challenged and banned.

1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
   1. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
   1. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
   1. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, claimed to be sexually explicit
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
   1. Reasons: claimed to be sexually explicit, LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity
5. Flamer by Mike Curato
   1. Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
   1. Reasons: rape, incest, claimed to be sexually explicit, EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) content
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
   1. Reasons: claimed to be sexually explicit, profanity
8. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
   1. Reasons: claimed to be sexually explicit, drugs, rape, LGBTQIA+ content
9. Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
   1. Reasons: claimed to be sexually explicit, sex education, LGBTQIA+ content
10. Sold by Patricia McCormick
    1. Reasons: claimed to be sexually explicit, rape

The American Library Association is leading the fight against book banning, with over twenty organizations joining them. Some of these organizations are the National Coalition Against Censorship, the Freedom to Read Foundation, and PEN America. Several groups of parents and students are also fighting against book bans.

Book challenges and bans are being made by parents and some politicians who believe that “inappropriate” books should not be able to be accessed by children, and in some counties, even the general public. 

Some argue that book bans aren’t all that effective anymore, given how wide-ranging the internet is, but bans do still affect school children and those that don’t have unlimited access to the internet.

Written by Elliot Bailey.