Posted on April 25, 2023 at 8:53 AM by Sadye Scott-Hainchek
The American Library Association has shared its list of 2022’s most frequently challenged books, and sadly, it was a record year ... by a large margin.
In 2022, the ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources — the highest number it has ever recorded and nearly double the total from 2021.
Those challenge cover a record 2,571 unique titles, which itself is a nearly 40 percent increase over 2021's numbers.
ALA President Lessa Kananiʻopua Pelayo-Lozada noted that, as in years past, polls show that a majority of Americans don't believe in banning books.
So why these numbers? In contrast to the past, when an individual would seek to remove or restrict materials, groups are now organizing to target multiple books, in multiple locations.
Here are the thirteen most challenged titles in 2022:
1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
3. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
4. Flamer by Mike Curato
5. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
5. (tie) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
7. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
10. (tie) A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
10. (tie) Crank by Ellen Hopkins
10. (tie) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
10. (tie) This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
The ALA has more on why each book faced criticism as well as historical lists on its website.
Additionally, the New York Times explores how Florida has become the epicenter of the book ban debate, thanks not just to the grassroots groups' actions but also those from lawmakers.
Related posts
Categories: Today in Books