Banned Books - 2020

Top 10 Challenged Books of 2019 - Read complete details at http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10#2019

What is a Challenge? Attempt to remove or restrict materials or services based on content. What is a ban? Removal of materials or cancellation of services based on content.

Reasons for Challenges? Racist Content, Witchcraft, Gender Dysphoria, Spreads Misinformation, Sexually Explicit, Abortion, Nudity, Racial Slurs, Sexually Explicit, Pro-Immigrant, Anti-Semitic, Drugs, Drinking, Rape, Influencing Vulnerable Young People, Climate Change, Illegal Aliens, Unscientific Ideology, Stereotypical Representations, Violence, Anti-Police, LGBTQIA+, Inaccurate, Sex Education, Pornographic, Radical Islam, Graphic Illustrations, Profanity, Fake News, Political Viewpoint, Biased, Grammatically Incorrect, Transgender Character, Suicide, Religious Viewpoint, Leftist Propaganda

Who Initiates Challenges? 45% Patrons, 18% Parents, 13% Board/Administration, 12% Political/Religious Groups, 8% Librarians/Teachers, 3% Elected Officials, 1% Students

Where Do Challenges Take Place? 66% Public Libraries, 19% School Libraries, 12% Schools, 2% Academis, 1% Special/Prison Libraries

Books and Beyond. The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 377 challenges in 2019. Here's the breakdown: 56% Books, 22% Programs & Meeting Rooms, 9% Displays & Artwork, 8% Films, 5% Other - includes social media, hate crimes, games, filtering, databases, newspapers, magazines

Censorship

Banned & Challenged Classics

Classic literary works are not immune from bans & challenges - some have faced censorship from the day they were first published to present.

Examples of banned & challenged classics include: