The American Library Affiliation’s listing of probably the most ceaselessly challenged books of 2025 contains Offered by Patricia McCormick, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir.
American Library Affiliation
cover caption
toggle caption
American Library Affiliation
The American Library Affiliation has launched its annual listing of probably the most generally challenged books at libraries throughout america.
In line with the ALA, the 11 most ceaselessly focused books embody a number of tied titles. They’re:
1. Offered by Patricia McCormick2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas5. (tie) Final Evening on the Telegraph Membership by Malinda Lo5. (tie) Methods by Ellen Hopkins7. A Court docket of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess8. (tie) Similar by Ellen Hopkins8. (tie) Searching for Alaska by John Green8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Many of those particular person titles additionally seem on a 2024-25 report issued final October by PEN America, a separate group devoted to free expression, which checked out e-book challenges and bans particularly inside public colleges.
The ALA says that it documented 4,235 distinctive titles being challenged in 2025 – the second-highest yr on file for library challenges. (The best ever was in 2023, with 4,240 challenges documented – solely 5 greater than on this most up-to-date yr.)
In line with the ALA, 40% of the supplies challenged in 2025 have been representations of LGBTQ+ individuals and people of individuals of shade.
In all, the ALA documented 713 makes an attempt throughout america in 2025 to censor library supplies and companies; 487 of these challenges focused books.
In line with the ALA, 92% of all e-book challenges to libraries got here from “stress teams,” authorities officers and native resolution makers. Whereas 20.8% got here from stress teams similar to Mothers for Liberty (because the ALA cited in an electronic mail to NPR), 70.9% of challenges originated with authorities officers and different “resolution makers,” similar to native board officers or directors.
In a extra detailed breakdown, the ALA notes that 31% of challenges got here from elected authorities officers and and 40% from board members or directors. In its full report, the ALA states that solely 2.7% of such challenges originated with dad and mom, and 1.4% with particular person library customers.
Fifty-one % of challenges have been tried at public libraries, and 37% concerned college libraries. The remaining challenges of 2025 focused college curriculums and better schooling.
The ALA defines a e-book “ban” because the elimination of supplies, together with books, from a library. A “problem,” on this group’s definition, is an try to have a library useful resource eliminated, or entry to it restricted.
The ALA is a non-partisan, nonprofit group devoted to American libraries and librarians.
