National Library Week • April 3-9

Top 10 Frequently Challenged Books 2021

National Library Week, April 3-9, 2022, features the release of the American Library Association's (ALA) 2022 State of America's Libraries Report. Included in this report are the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2021; titles are featured in the above infographic and text below.

2022 State of America's Libraries Report

The American Library Association tracked 729 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2021. Of the 1,597 individual books that were challenged or banned in 2021, here are the top 10 most challenged: 

1. Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images. 
2. Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. 
3. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. 
4. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez. Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit. 
5. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda. 
6. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and use of a derogatory term. 
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews. Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women. 
8. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. Reasons: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit. 
9. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson. Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
10. Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin. Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

Infographic & text used with permission. State of America's Libraries Toolkit.