Report challenged and banned books to the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom here.
In honor of National Library Week, April 19–25, the American Library Association has released its annual report on nationwide library trends, statistics, and issues. The State of America’s Libraries 2020 summary includes the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom’s list of Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2019.
Last year, the ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 377 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services, many of which included or addressed LGBTQ+ content. There was a 17% increase in the number of books targeted, challenged, or banned.
Among the 566 books targeted for removal or restriction in 2019, these were the top 10 most challenged titles:
- George by Alex Gino (Scholastic Press, 2015)
Reasons: challenged, banned, restricted, and hidden to avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”
- Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin (Candlewick, 2014)
Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased
- A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illus. by EG Keller (Chronicle, 2018)
Reasons: Challenged and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning
- Sex Is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, illus. by Fiona Smyth (Triangle Square, 2015)
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content; for discussing gender identity and sex education; and for concerns that the title and illustrations were “inappropriate”
- Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illus. by Stevie Lewis (Little Bee Books, 2018)
Reasons: Challenged and restricted for featuring a gay marriage and LGBTQIA+ content; for being “a deliberate attempt to indoctrinate young children” with the potential to cause confusion, curiosity, and gender dysphoria; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint
- I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illus. by Shelagh McNicholas (Dial, 2014)
Reasons: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content, for a transgender character, and for confronting a topic that is “sensitive, controversial, and politically charged”
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (HMH, 1985)
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
- Drama by Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic/Graphix, 2012)
Reasons: Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”
- Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (Scholastic, 1997–2007)
Reasons: Banned and forbidden from discussion for referring to magic and witchcraft, for containing actual curses and spells, and for characters that use “nefarious means” to attain goals
- And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illus. by Henry Cole (Simon & Schuster, 2005)
Reason: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content
For more on the ALA’s Office of Intellectual Freedom, visit http://www.ala.org/advocacy/intfreedom
