Record U.S. Book Bans
- The American Library Association says U.S. libraries saw a record 5,668 books banned in 2025. (theguardian.com) - Patricia McCormick’s novel Sold was named the single most-banned title on that list. (greenevillesun.com) - The spike provoked public debate, with The Dispatch disputing mass-ban language and local outlets examining age-appropriateness and library needs. (thedispatch.com) (wpln.org) (newsone.com)
U.S. libraries removed 5,668 books from shelves in 2025, the highest number the American Library Association has recorded in a single year. (ala.org) The American Library Association said 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025, the second-highest annual total on record after 4,240 in 2023. It logged 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, including 487 attempts aimed at books. (ala.org) The group counts a “challenge” as an attempt to remove or restrict a title, and a “ban” as an actual removal based on objections. Its 2025 data says 66% of challenged books were ultimately banned and another 920 titles were restricted rather than fully removed. (ala.org) (slj.com) Patricia McCormick’s 2006 novel *Sold* was the most challenged single title of 2025. Other books on the American Library Association’s top list included *The Perks of Being a Wallflower*, *Gender Queer*, and Sarah J. Maas’s *A Court of Thorns and Roses* series. (usnews.com) The association said the pattern of who files complaints shifted further away from individual parents in 2025. It reported that 92% of challenges came from pressure groups, government officials, and other decision-makers, up from 72% in 2024, while fewer than 3% came from individual parents. (ala.org) The books most often targeted still clustered around sex, gender, race, and identity. The American Library Association said 1,671 of the unique titles challenged in 2025, or 39%, reflected the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color. (ala.org) The argument over what counts as a “ban” has become part of the story itself. In an April 22 column, The Dispatch argued that removing a title from one library or age section is not the same as a nationwide prohibition, disputing the way national groups describe the trend. (thedispatch.com) Local reporting has focused on how those disputes play out in library systems and state law. WPLN reported on April 22 that Tennessee’s 2022 Age-Appropriate Materials Act created a process for challenging titles in school and public libraries, turning questions about children’s access into regular local fights over review boards and shelving. (wpln.org) Libraries are also being argued over as civic institutions, not just book repositories. In an April 2026 essay, NewsOne said Black communities still rely on libraries for internet access, job help, literacy programs, and public gathering space, adding another layer to battles over what stays on the shelves. (newsone.com) The American Library Association released the new figures during National Library Week, which ran April 19 through April 25 this year. The count keeps the issue on the national agenda even after the raw number of censorship attempts fell from 821 in 2024 to 713 in 2025. (americanlibrariesmagazine.org)
