Inside the ALA’s list of the 150 most banned books of the last 35 years.
In honor of Banned Books Week, the American Library Association (ALA) has published a list of the 150 most challenged books documented between 1990 and 2025. The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 4,235 challenged titles last year, the second-highest.
The American Library Association (ALA), a major U.S. organization promoting libraries and intellectual freedom, released a list of the 150 most challenged books documented between 1990 and 2025. This list was published in honor of Banned Books Week, an annual event highlighting censorship and the importance of free access to literature. The ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom tracks challenged books, which are titles requested to be removed or restricted from libraries or schools. In 2025 alone, the ALA recorded 4,235 challenged titles, the second-highest number ever documented. The list includes a wide range of genres and age groups, reflecting diverse themes and controversies.
The ALA’s list includes 20 adult classics, defined as canonized novels written for adults. These books have stood the test of time and are widely recognized in literature but have faced challenges due to their content. Notable examples include Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, which addresses racial injustice, and Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, an autobiography exploring themes of racism and trauma. Other frequently challenged authors in this category include J.D. Salinger, Mark Twain, Richard Wright, Toni Morrison, and Aldous Huxley. Surprisingly, contemporary novels like Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing and Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants also appear on the list, demonstrating that censorship is not limited to older works.
Eight graphic novels are included in the ALA’s list of most banned books. Graphic novels, which combine visual art with written narrative, have become a popular medium but have also drawn significant criticism. The ALA notes that illustrated content can be particularly alarming to censors, as visual representations may provoke stronger reactions than text alone. Titles by authors such as Alison Bechdel, Gabby Rivera, and Craig Thompson are featured. Additionally, a graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale has faced challenges, compounding the controversy around the original novel.
Eleven children’s and middle-grade titles are among the most banned books. Many of these books explore themes of gender identity and exploration, such as Jessica Love’s Julián Is a Mermaid. Others, like Justin Richardson’s And Tango Makes Three, affirm queer families and have been challenged for depicting same-sex relationships. A recurring title is Maurice Sendak’s In the Night Kitchen, which has faced challenges for decades due to a brief illustration of a cartoon baby without clothes. The ALA’s data suggests that books addressing gender and sexuality are disproportionately targeted in censorship efforts.
The ALA found that 81 of the most banned books since 1990 were written for a young adult audience. This category includes novels aimed at teenagers and young readers. The themes that most frequently trigger challenges in this group are gender and sexual content, rather than topics like gun violence, racial violence, mental illness, drugs, immigration, or the occult. Notable authors with multiple challenged books include Ellen Hopkins, who had 14 titles on the list, and Lauren Myracle, with six challenged works. Historical fiction, such as Malinda Lo’s Last Night at the Telegraph Club, and popular series like Cecily von Ziegesar’s Gossip Girl are also represented.
Ten romantasy novels—books that blend romance and fantasy genres—are included in the ALA’s list. Romantasy is a relatively new literary category that combines elements of romance and fantasy, often featuring strong female protagonists and supernatural themes. Sarah J. Maas is the most challenged author in this category, with nine of her books appearing on the list. Another frequently challenged title is Cassandra Clare’s Clockwork Princess, the third book in her Infernal Devices trilogy. The inclusion of these books suggests that even popular and commercially successful genres are not immune to censorship.
Eight memoirs are included in the ALA’s list of most banned books. Memoirs are autobiographical accounts of a person’s life or experiences, often focusing on personal struggles or societal issues. The challenged memoirs in this list address topics such as sexual violence, abuse, coming out, and religious trauma. Despite the potential for memoirs to provoke strong reactions due to their personal nature, the ALA notes that only eight were challenged, which may indicate that censors target a variety of genres rather than focusing solely on sensitive topics.
The ALA’s list includes five puberty guides, one anti-racist handbook, and six titles that resist easy categorization. Puberty guides, which provide information about physical and emotional changes during adolescence, are often challenged for discussing topics like sex education. The single anti-racist handbook reflects broader concerns about books that address systemic racism or advocate for racial justice. The six uncategorized titles include works like two collections by Rupi Kaur and a compilation of ghost stories, which may have been challenged due to *Satanic Panic*—a moral panic in the 1980s and 1990s that linked popular culture, including books, to satanic rituals.
