As Banned Books Week kicks off in the U.S., the American Library Association has released preliminary data indicating that there has been a slowdown in attempts to ban books in libraries during the first eight months of 2024.
So far this year, the ALA has tracked 414 book challenges in public and school libraries, with 1,128 unique titles facing censorship attempts. That is a decrease from the same period last year, when there were 695 challenges affecting 1,915 unique titles.
The organization says, however, that “the number of documented attempts to censor books continues to far exceed the numbers prior to 2020. Additionally, instances of soft censorship, where books are purchased but placed in restricted areas, not used in library displays, or otherwise hidden or kept off limits due to fear of challenges, illustrate the impact of organized censorship campaigns on students’ and readers’ freedom to read.”
In April, the ALA released its list of the most challenged or banned books of 2023, with Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer taking the No. 1 spot, followed by George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue and Juno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay.
ALA President Cindy Hohl said in a statement that readers should “continue to stand up for libraries and challenge censorship wherever it occurs.”
“We urge everyone to join librarians in defending the freedom to read,” Hohl said. “We know people don’t like being told what they are allowed to read, and we’ve seen communities come together to fight back and protect their libraries and schools from the censors.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
