In 2025, 40% of the books attempted to be censored in the country addressed LGBTQIA+ themes and stories of people of color, according to an analysis by the American Library Association (ALA). The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) recorded 4,235 challenged titles in 2025, the second highest figure documented by the organization, only below the 4,240 cases recorded in 2023. In total, 1,671 titles focus on the experiences of minorities and racialized communities.
The ALA report focuses on attempts to remove or restrict books in libraries. Last year, the OIF documented 5,668 books banned in libraries (66% of the total challenged), while another 920 were censored through access restrictions, such as relocation or the requirement of parental permission. This represents both the highest number of titles censored in a single year and the highest rate of challenges that resulted in censorship between 1990 and 2025.
The book with the most censorship requests in 2025 was Sold, by Patricia McCormick, which tells the story of Lakshmi, a Nepali girl sold into sexual slavery. The author, a journalist by profession, bases her work on in-depth research. For this novel, she traveled to India and interviewed young people with the aim of raising awareness about human trafficking. Following on the list are The Perks of Being a Wallflower, which addresses topics such as mental health, abuse, sexual diversity, and adolescent relationships, and Gender Queer, a graphic novel in which the author reflects on her identity as a non-binary person.
Beyond the alarmist discourses circulating on social media, most book challenges in the United States do not come from parents. According to the ALA, 92% of the complaints were driven by pressure groups, government officials, and decision-makers, a significant increase from the 72% recorded in 2024. In contrast, less than 3% of the challenges were filed by individual parents. “In 2025, book bans were not driven by concerned parents, nor were they the result of local initiatives. They were part of a well-funded, politically motivated campaign to silence the stories and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals and communities and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color,” said Sarah Lamdan, executive director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, in a statement.
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The books with the most attempted bans in 2025 are:
- Sold by Patricia McCormick
- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
- Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
- Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
- Identical by Ellen Hopkins
- Looking for Alaska by John Green
- Rage and Ruin by Jennifer L. Armentrout