The American Library Association (ALA) has published its annual list of the most frequently challenged books in U.S. libraries for 2025. The list includes notable titles such as “Sold” by Patricia McCormick, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, and “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe, among others. A total of 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025, marking it as the second-highest record for library appeals.
According to ALA, 40% of the challenged materials represented LGBTQ+ individuals and people of color. The majority of challenges (92%) were initiated by pressure groups and local government officials, with only a small percentage stemming from parents and individual library users. The challenges predominantly occurred in public libraries (51%) and school libraries (37%).
ALA defines a “challenge” as an attempt to remove or restrict access to library resources, while “banning” refers to the actual removal of materials.
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