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Top 13 Most Challenged Books of 2022

October 1-7 is Banned Books Week, celebrating the freedom to read and raising awareness about the harms of censorship! ELPL condemns censorship and works to defend each person's right to read and ensure free access to information. We believe every person has the right to read (or not read!) whatever they choose. To this end, we strive to maintain a balanced and diverse collection for our community. The American Library Association (ALA) documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago. The unparalleled number of reported book challenges in 2022 nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. Of the record 2,571 unique titles targeted for censorship last year, the most challenged titles are listed below.

User from East Lansing Public Library

13 items

  • Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Graphic Novel, 2020[St. Louis, Missouri] : Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group, LLC, 2020. — GN KOBABE
  • Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2000New York : Knopf : Distributed by Random House, 2000. — FICTION MORRISON
  • Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Graphic Novel, 2020New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2020. — GN CURATO
  • (Tied for 5th) Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2005New York : Dutton Books, c2005. — YA GREEN
  • (Tied for 5th) Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2025New York : Simon Pulse; 2025 — YA CHBOSKY
  • Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2019Chapel Hill, North Carolina : Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2019. — FICTION EVISON
  • Challenged for: depictions of abuse, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2019New York : Holiday House, [2019] — YA PEREZ
  • (Tied for 10th) Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2016New York : Bloomsbury, 2016. — YA SERIES COU V.2
  • (Tied for 10th) Challenged for: drug use, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2004New York : Simon Pulse, 2004. — YA HOPKINS
  • (Tied for 10th) Challenged for: profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2012New York : Amulet Books, 2012. — YA ANDREWS
  • (Tied for 10th) Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit
    Book, 2021Naperville, Illinois : SourceBooks Fire, [2021] — YA 306.76 DAW