The American Library Association (ALA) has reported a record high in the number of books banned in US libraries.In 2025, 5,668 books were banned – representing 66% of the total number challenged – with an additional 920 censored through access restriction, such as relocation on the library shelves.
The most-banned book in 2025 was Sold, a 2006 novel by Patricia McCormick about sex trafficking in India. Other frequently challenged titles include The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas.
According to the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF), challenges were recorded against 4,235 unique titles in 2025. That figure is the second highest since the organisation began tracking censorship data more than 30 years ago, topped only by 4,240 titles in 2023.
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