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Banned Books Week: Top 10 Most Challenged Books

Every year, the 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 media stories and voluntary reports sent to OIF from communities across the U.S. The Top 10 lists are only a snapshot of book challenges. Surveys indicate that 82-97% of book challenges – documented requests to remove materials from schools or libraries – remain unreported and receive no media. Below are the Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021, along with the reasons cited for censoring the books. - MCFL

Library Staff
User from MARINet

11 items

  • Gender Queer

    a Memoir

    Kobabe, Maia,
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
    Graphic Novel, 2019[Place of publication not identified] : Lion Forge, LLC ; 2019 — Graphic Novel Kobabe

  • Lawn Boy

    a Novel

    Evison, Jonathan,
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2018Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2018 — Fiction Evison

  • All Boys Aren't Blue

    a Memoir-manifesto

    Johnson, George M. (George Matthew), 1985-
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2020New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2020 — Teen Bio JOHNSON, G

  • Out of Darkness

    Pérez, Ashley Hope
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2015Minneapolis : Carolrhoda Lab, [2015] — Teen Fiction Perez

  • The Hate U Give

    Thomas, Angie,
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged for profanity, violence, and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda
    Book, 2017New York, NY : Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, [2017] — Teen Fiction Thomas

  • The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian

    Alexie, Sherman, 1966-
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term
    Book, 2007New York : Little, Brown, 2007 — Fiction Alexie, S

  • Me and Earl and the Dying Girl

    a Novel

    Andrews, Jesse
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
    Book, 2012New York : Amulet Books, ©2012, 2015 — Teen Fiction Andrews

  • The Bluest Eye

    Morrison, Toni, 1931-2019
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit
    Book, 1994New York : Plume Book, 1994 — Fiction Morrison

  • This Book Is Gay

    Dawson, Juno,
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content
    Book, 2015Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Fire, [2015] — Teen 306.76 Dawson

  • Beyond Magenta

    Transgender Teens Speak Out

    Kuklin, Susan
    Top 10 Most Challenged Books of 2021: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2014Somerville, Massachusetts Candlewick Press, 2014 — 306.768 Kuklin

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