Hot Topics: Censorship, Banned, and Challenged Books

Laura Pappano Investigates the “Chaotic and Illogical Business” of Censorship

Knox, Emily J. M. “Silencing Stories: Challenges to Diverse Books.” The International Journal of Information, Diversity, & Inclusion, vol. 3, no. 2, 2019, pp. 24–39. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/48645178. Accessed 23 May 2024.

Knox, Emily J. M. “Books, Censorship, and Anti-Intellectualism in Schools.” The Phi Delta Kappan, vol. 101, no. 7, 2020, pp. 28–32. JSTOR, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26977095. Accessed 23 May 2024.

ALA compiles data on book challenges from reports filed with its Office for Intellectual Freedom by library professionals in the field and from news stories published throughout the United States.

Every year, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order 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.

The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has released new data documenting book challenges throughout the United States, finding that challenges of unique titles surged 65% in 2023 compared to 2022 numbers, reaching the highest level ever documented by ALA.

Through this intervention study, participating educators selected and added diverse books to their classroom libraries, and completed bi-monthly tracking surveys to gauge the impact of those diverse books. Among the findings: the pilot study revealed that increasing access to diverse books in the classroom environment increases the amount of time that children spend reading, and positively impacts students’ reading scores.