Katherine Fiorillo is a freelance content writer specializing in books, beauty, and e-commerce.
For centuries educators, religious organizations, and parents have long sought to control what children and adults read by banning literature. Books are challenged as an attempt to restrict materials, with claims commonly based on opposing political viewpoints, explicit content, LGBTQIA+ content, or violence.
The American Library Association (ALA) is an organization that advocates for diversity, inclusion, and education. Its Office for Intellectual Freedom monitors and assembles data about banned and challenged books in the US, culminating in Banned Books Week — an event that celebrates freedom in reading. In this list, we used data from the ALA to compile some of the most banned and challenged books of the past three years.
George by Alex Gino
Reasons for being banned, restricted, or challenged: “To avoid controversy; for LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not ‘put books in a child’s hand that require discussion’; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure.”
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You” by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Reasons for being banned, restricted, or challenged: “The author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains ‘selective storytelling incidents’ and does not encompass racism against all people.”
