The American Library Association tracks every formal challenge to books in US school libraries and classrooms. In 2023 alone, there were over 4,240 challenges — the highest number recorded. This is the list of books most frequently targeted, with the context that the challenges usually omit.
Most school book challenges follow a pattern: a parent complains about a specific passage, the school board convenes a review committee, and the book is either retained, restricted, or removed. The reasons given are almost always about content (language, sexual content, violence). The pattern of which books are targeted tells a different story — one about whose experiences are considered safe to discuss in school.
| Reason | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Sexual content | Any depiction of sexuality — including non-explicit depictions of LGBTQ+ relationships or sexual violence in literary context |
| Profanity / language | Racial slurs (even in anti-racist narratives), swearing, or colloquial language authentic to characters' voices |
| Violence | War, abuse, assault — particularly when depicted from a victim's perspective rather than a heroic one |
| Anti-family / anti-Christian | Any depiction of non-traditional family structures or criticism of religious institutions |
| Age-inappropriate | A catch-all used when other objections don't apply; often applied to books with LGBTQ+ content in middle-grade and picture books |
The ALA Top 10 — Most challenged school books
Based on American Library Association data from the past decade. A book appearing on this list means it has been formally challenged in multiple school districts across multiple years.
A graphic memoir about gender identity and asexuality — the most challenged book in American schools for three consecutive years. Challenged primarily for its illustrations and LGBTQ+ content. Many of the challenges cite specific pages out of context. Available in public libraries nationwide; removed from school libraries in dozens of districts.
A memoir-manifesto about growing up Black and queer in New Jersey — Johnson writes about family, friendship, queerness, and identity with directness that school boards have consistently found challenging. Removed from school libraries in over a dozen states. The book is explicitly addressed to Black LGBTQ+ youth, which is precisely the audience that most needs to see themselves in school libraries.
The most challenged novel in US school history — and the nature of the challenges has changed over 60 years. Initially challenged in Southern states for depicting racial injustice in ways seen as inflammatory. More recently challenged for its use of racial slurs, even by educators who note the novel explicitly condemns racism. Both arguments reveal something true about American discomfort with its own history.
A National Book Award winner about a Native American teenager leaving his reservation school. The irony of challenging a book about a child who leaves poverty and alcoholism to get a better education is not lost on its defenders. Challenged in districts across the country — some of the most sustained challenges have been in communities closest to the reservations the book depicts.
Steinbeck's novella about two migrant workers in the Great Depression — George and Lennie, whose friendship ends in an act of mercy that Steinbeck presents without judgment — has been challenged in school districts since the 1960s. The primary objection is language: the novella uses racial slurs authentic to its 1930s California setting. It is simultaneously one of the most assigned and most challenged texts in American high school education.
Starr Carter witnesses a police officer shoot her unarmed friend Khalil. The novel follows her decision about whether to speak publicly about what she saw. Published in 2017 and challenged immediately — in some districts described as "anti-police" or "politically charged." Thomas, who grew up in a high-crime neighbourhood in Jackson, Mississippi, has described the book as the novel she needed as a teenager and couldn't find.