Why are People Scared of Words? Challenged and Banned Books in 2024 by Fran Joyce
How do people in the United States really feel about banning books? Do the people who support banning books support all forms of censorship? Are all people who support banning books politically and religiously aligned? Why are books commonly banned?
Every year, the American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in America to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States.
Many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press. The lists and data concerning challenged or banned books compiled by ALA represent only a portion of book challenges. Resolution of a challenge(s) to a book may be decided in favor of retaining the book in the collection, or the book may be restricted or withdrawn from the library.
In 2023, the ALA was able to document 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship. This new record is 65% greater than the numbers of challenged books in 2022. There were also 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources. Pressure groups focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. At public libraries, the number of titles targeted for censorship increased by 92% over the previous year. These challenges accounted for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023.
The ten most challenged books of 2023 and the reasons cited for challenging the books are listed below:
1. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe – non-fiction, Young Adult - This book was challenged 106 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. Kobabe is an American cartoonist and writer who is non-binary and asexual.
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson – non-fiction, Young Adult -This book was challenged 82 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. Johnson, a prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist writes about his childhood, adolescence, and college years and the challenges he faced as a Black queer boy.
3. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson – non-fiction, Young Adult - This book was challenged 71 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. According to the author, this book is a candid exploration of sexuality. It was written for anyone who has ever wondered about their sexuality.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky – Fiction, Young Adult - This book was challenged 68 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content, rape, drugs, profanity, and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. Chbosky’s book is about a shy and introverted high school boy named Charlie who must deal with the pressures of high school and the loss of his best friend by suicide.
5. Flamer by Mike Curato – Fiction, Young Adult - This book was challenged 67 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. During the summer between middle school and high school, Aiden Navarro goes to camp where he navigates friendships, bullies, puberty, and a boy he can’t stop thinking about.
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison – Fiction, Adult - This book was challenged 62 times for the following reasons – rape, incest, EDI content (equity, diversity, and inclusion), and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. Morrison addresses issues of poverty, discriminations, poor self-image, and sexual exploitation faced by many African Americans - especially African American children growing up in the 20th century.
7. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews – Fiction, Teen, and Young Adult -This book was challenged 56 times for profanity and claims of sexually explicit content (It’s tied with book number eight on the list). It’s the story of three unlikely friends, Greg, Rachel, and Earl. Greg is an awkward teen trying to blend in and survive high school. Earl is Greg’s only friend. They hang out and make films together. When Greg’s mother insists he rekindle a childhood friendship with Rachel, a girl with cancer, they three begin an unusual friendship which causes Earl and Greg to make the worst film ever when Rachel makes the decision to halt her cancer treatments.
8. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins – Fiction for ages 14 and up -This book was challenged 56 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. It’s tied with book #7 on the list). The book is a fictional account of five troubled teens who fall into prostitution, while searching for freedom, safety, community, acceptance, family, and love.
9. Let’s Talk About It: The Teen’s Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being Human by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan – Non-fiction, Teens, and YA - This book was challenged 55 times for the following reasons – LGBTQIA+ content, sex education, and claims that the book has sexually explicit content. Relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, jealousy, rejection, and sex education for teens are discussed and explained factually and compassionately without judgement.
10. Sold by Patricia McCormick – Fiction, Teen, and Young Adult - This book was challenged 53 times for the following reasons – rape and claims that the book had sexually explicit content. After 13-year-old Lakshmi’s family’s hut in Nepal is destroyed by a monsoon, her stepfather claims he must leave to look for work. Before he goes, he introduces Lashmi to a foreign woman who offers to take her to India to work as a maid for a nice family. When Lakahmi arrives in India, she discovers she has been sold into prostitution.
Did you notice any recurring themes in these challenges? Look through our previous September issues and compare the books being challenged and the reasons for these challenges. We’ve done this in previous years, and the shift from objections about violence or alcohol and drug use has noticeably shifted to objections about LGBTQIA+ characters and sexual situations. There is also a shift from individual complaints by a parent or guardian toward complaints by organized political or religious groups.
How do you feel about this shift? What can we do as parents and consumers to protect our rights to decide what’s appropriate to read instead of letting political and religious groups make that decision for us?
My best suggestions are:
1. Keep an open mind. Be an informed reader and consumer.
2. Read the entire book yourself before deciding if it’s appropriate for members of your family.
3. Talk to your kids about what they are reading or want to read. Make the decision together about whether a book is age appropriate. Consult a librarian if you have concerns about age recommendations.
4. Respect your neighbor’s rights to decide what’s appropriate for them and their families.
5. Do not support groups that want to ban books. Their members have seldom read the books they challenge, or they have only read selected excerpts taken out of context.
6. If the same person is constantly challenging books in your community, that’s a definite red flag.
7. Before you complain about the content in a book ask yourself why it bothers you. If the book is promoting hate toward marginalized groups of people, teaching you how to build a bomb or how to make and unleash a dangerous toxin by all means get involved and get it off the shelves. If the book is asking you to learn about and empathize with the experiences of someone from a different race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or religion maybe you should read it because knowledge is power.
Sources for this article:
https://wordsrated.com/global-book-banning-statistics/
https://theweek.com/articles/459795/america-surprising-banned-books