In our culturally divided, deeply polarized nation, no book is safe on a public library shelf.
More than 10,000 books were banned last year in schools across the country, according to a report released Monday by PEN America.The free speech advocacy group found book bans nearly tripled in 2023-2024, a significant jump from the 3,362 instances documented over the previous school year.
A separate report released Monday by theAmerican Library Association during Banned Books Week gave contrasting data.
Is book censorship in the U.S. slowing down in 2024?
The ALA, through its Office of Intellectual Freedom, keeps track of attempts to censor books in both public, school, and academic libraries. It reported there were 414 attempts to censor 1,128 library books during the first eight months of 2024.
This represents a slow-down in censorship, the ALA said, noting there were 695 attempts targeting 1,915 book titles during the same eight months in 2023.
But it's a far cry from where censorship attempts were roughly a decade ago.
Censorship at American public libraries has skyrocketed since 2021
"We must continue to stand up for libraries and challenge censorship wherever it occurs,” ALA president Cindy Hohl said Monday in a prepared statement. "We urge everyone to join librarians in defending the freedom to read."
In 2014, the ALA logged 183 challenged book titles. Since 2021, the United States has witnesseda surge in calls to ban or challenge books,orchestrated largely by conservative groups and aided by Republican lawmakers.
Public libraries in 2023 experienced a92% increasein the number of books targeted for relocation or removal from the previous year, according to the ALA.
What books did Hoosiers challenge in 2023?
Indiana, according to an updated ALA report, had 23 such cases targeting hundreds of books last year in the Hoosier state, an ALA spokesperson said in a message to IndyStar.
In 2023, Hoosiers challenged 346 books in libraries across Indiana, according to the ALA — from Maia Kobabe's "Gender Queer: A Memoir" to the Holy Bible.
IndyStar has provided a full list of challenged books toward the bottom of this article.
Targeted novels include those written by Indianapolis authors such as John Green and Kurt Vonnegut. The majority of challenges, however, were directed toward books with LGBTQ+ themes and characters, as well as books featuring people of color.
Leah Johnson: Removing LGBTQ+ literature is 'a removal of queer people from public life'
Indianapolis bookstore owner of Loudmouth Books,and bestselling Indy authorLeah Johnson said the conversation of removing LGBTQ literature is getting more urgent every year.
"I know without a doubt that banning books is not about a removal of stories from shelves, it’s about a removal of Queer people from public life,” Johnson told IndyStar.
Story continues after gallery.
The most challenged books of 2023
Is challenging a book the same thing as banning it?
No. That said, challenging a book can lead to it being banned. When a library book is challenged, writes the ALA, it can result in access to a book being retained, restricted, or withdrawn from a library entirely.
What's the difference between restricting and banning a book?
Restricting a book means librarians might relocate it to a section of the library intended for an older age group than the book is intended for, according to the ALA. In some cases this can mean requiring parental permission to check it out.
A book is banned, writes the ALA, when it's removed from a library collection entirely.
"All books give us windows into experiences unlike our own, and mirrors that reflect our experiences back to us," Johnson said. "Stories make us more empathetic, more human. And when access to those stories is limited, we’re stripping away crucial resources, especially for marginalized people to empower and be empowered."
Here's every book Hoosiers challenged last year in Indiana.
A-B; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from '101 Ways to Dance' to 'Burned'
- "101 Ways to Dance" by Kathy Stinson
- "33 Snowfish" by Adam Rapp
- "The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime that Changed Their Lives" by Dashka Slater
- "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
- "A Child Called 'It' : One Child's Courage to Survive" by Dave Pelzer
- "A Court of Frost and Starlight" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Silver Flames" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Court of Wings and Ruins" by Sarah J. Maas
- "A Day No Pigs Would Die" by Robert Newton Peck
- "A Good Kind of Trouble" by Lisa Moore Ramée
- "A Quick & Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns" by Archie Bongiovanni
- "A Stolen Life: A Memoir" by Jaycee Lee Dugard
- "Al Capone Does My Shirts" by Gennifer Choldenko
- "All American Boys" by Jason Reynolds
- "All Because You Matter" by Tami Charles
- "All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto" by George M. Johnson
- "All the Bright Places" by Jennifer Niven
- "All the Things We Do in the Dark" by Saundra Mitchell
- "Allegedly" by Tiffany Jackson
- "Almost Perfect" by Brian Katcher
- "America: A Novel" by E.R. Frank
- "And Tango Makes Three" by Justin Richardson
And Tango Makes Three:Facing lawsuit, Florida school board returns banned books to shelves
- "Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson" by Louise Rennison
- "Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaption" by Ari Folman
- "Another Day (Every Day #2)" by David Levithan
- "AntiRacist Baby" by Ibram X. Kendi
- "The Art of Drag" by Jake Hall
- "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein
- "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King
- "Assassination Classroom (series)" by Yusei Matsui
- "The Assassin's Blade" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Attack of the Black Rectangles" by A.S. King
- "Autoboyography" by Christina Lauren
- "Ban this Book" by Alan Gratz
Ban this Book 'Challenges our authority'School board in Florida bans book about book bans
- "Bathe the Cat" by Alice McGinty
- "Be Prepared" by Vera Brosgol
- "Beautiful" by Amy Lynn Reed
- "Beetle & The Hollowbones" by Aliza Layne
- "Before We Disappear" by Shaun David Hutchinson
- "Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender Teen)" by Jazz Jennings
- "Beloved" by Toni Morrison
- "The Berlin Boxing Club" by Rob Sharenow
- "Beyond Magenta: Transgender and Nonbinary Teens Speak Out" by Susan Kuklin
- "The Holy Bible" by N/A
- "Big Wig" by Jonathan Hillman
- "The Black Flamingo" by Dean Atta
- "The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person" by Frederick Joseph
- "Blankets: An Illustrated Novel" by Craig Thompson
- "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
- "Blended" by Sharon M. Draper
- "The Body: A Guide for Occupants" by Bill Bryson
- "Bone" by Jeff Smith
- "Boy Girl Boy" by Ronald Koertge
- "Boy Meets Boy" by David Levithan
- "Boy Toy" by Barry Lyga
- "Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World" by Pénélope Bagieu
- "The Breakaways" by Cathy G. Johnson
- "Breathless" by Jennifer Niven
- "Bumped" by Megan McCafferty
- "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins
C-D; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Call Me By Your Name' to 'Dumplin: Go Big or Go Home'
- "Call Me By Your Name" by André Aciman
- "Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship" by Irene Latham
- "Can We Please Give the Police Department to the Grandmothers?" by Junauda Petrus
- "Can't Take That Away" by Steven Salvatore
- "The Carnival at Bray" by Jessie Ann Foley
- "Cat Kid Comic Club" (series) by Dav Pilkey
- "Catwoman: Soulstealer" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Cemetery Boys" by Aiden Thomas
- "Chosen" by P. C. Cast
- "Cinderella is Dead" by Kalynn Bayron
- "City of Heavenly Fire" by Cassandra Clare
- "Clap When You Land" by Elizabeth Acevedo
- "Class Act" by Jerry Craft
- "Click Here to Kill Everybody: Security and Survival in a Hyper-connected world" by Bruce Schneier
- "Clockwork Princess" by Cassandra Clare
- "Closer to Nowhere" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Club Drugs" (Drug Education Library) by Hal Marcovitz
- "Collateral" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Coming Up for Air" by Miranda Kenneally
- "Concrete Rose" by Angie Thomas
- "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins
- "The Crown of Midnight" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Cut" by Patricia McCormick
Banned Books Week:Most challenged titles and how publishers are pushing back
- "Damsel" by Elana K. Arnold
- "Darius the Great Deserves Better" by Adib Khorram
- "Darkness Before Dawn" by Sharon M. Draper
- "Daughters Unto Devils" by Amy Lukavics
- "Dead Until Dark" by Charlaine Harris
- "Deal With It! A Whole New Approach to Your Body, Brain, and Life as a gURL" by Esther Drill, Rebecca Odes, Heather McDonald
- "Dear Martin" by Nic Stone
- "Dear Sweet Pea" by Julie Murphy
- "Death Wind" by William Bell
- "The Detour" by S.A. Bodeen
- "Dictionary of American Slang" by Barbara Ann Kipfer, Robert L. Chapman
- "Dime" by E.R. Frank
- "Dishes" by Rich Wallace
- "Doing It! Let's Talk About Sex" by Hannah Witton
- "Drama" by Raina Telgemeier
- "Dress Codes for Small Towns" by Courtney C Stevens
- "The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend" by Kody Keplinger
- "Dumplin': Go Big or Go Home" by Julie Murphy
E-F; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Eleanor & Park' to 'Friday'
- "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell
- "Embrace" by Jessica Shirvington
- "Empire of Storms" (Throne of Glass 5) by Sarah J. Maas
- "Every Day" by David Levithan
- "Every Heart a Doorway" by Seanan McGuire
- "Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close" by Jonathan Safran Foer
- "Fable (Fable #1)" by Adrienne Young
- "Fade" by Lisa McMann
- "Fallout" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Fangirl" by Rainbow Rowell
- "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Books challenged in Indiana:Amid backlash, HamCo library puts John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' back in teen section
- "Felix Ever After" by Kacen Callender
- "The Female of the Species" by Mindy McGinnis
- "Fifteen Hundred Miles from the Sun" by Jonny Garza Villa
- "The Fixer" by Bernard Malamud
- "Flamer" by Mike Curato
- "Flowers in the Attic" by V.C. Andrews
- "Fly on the Wall: How One Girl Saw Everything" by E. Lockhart
- "Forever" by Judy Blume
- "Foul is Fair" by Hannah Capin
- "The Freedom Writers Diary" by Erin Gruwell
- "Friction" by E.R. Frank
- "Friday" by Robert A. Heinlein
G-H; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Gabi, a Girl in Pieces' to 'How to Be an Antiracist'
- "Gabi, a Girl in Pieces" by Isabel Quintero"
- "Gender Identity: Beyond Pronouns and Bathrooms" by Maria Cook
- "Gender Queer: A Memoir" by author and cartoonist Maia Kobabe
- "Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit" by Jaye Robin Brown
- "Ghost Boys" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- "Gilded" by Marissa Meyer
- "Gingerbread" by Rachel Cohn
- "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
- "Girl in Pieces" by Kathleen Glasgow
- "Girl in Translation" by Jean Kwok
- "The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" by Heidi W Durrow
- "Glass" by Ellen Hopkins
- "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls
- "Go Ask Alice!" by Anonymous
- "Gossip Girl SERIES" by Cecily von Ziegesar
- "Graceling" by Kristin Cashore
- "Gravity" by Leanne Lieberman
- "Grit" by Gillian French
- "Grl2grl: Short Fictions" by Julie Anne Peters
- "Grown" by Tiffany Jackson
- "Guyaholic" by Carolyn Mackler
- "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
- "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas
- "The Haters" by Jesse Andrews
- "Heartstopper" by Alice Oseman
- "Heartstopper. Volume 2" by Alice Oseman
- "Heartstopper. Volume 3" by Alice Oseman
- "Heartstopper. Volume 4" by Alice Oseman
- "Heir of Fire" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Heroine" by Mindy McGinnis
- "History is All You Left Me" by Adam Silvera
- "The History of Racism in America" by Duchess Harris
- "Hold Me Closer: The Tiny Cooper Story" by David Levithan
- "Home After Dark" by David Small
- "Homegoing" by Yaa Gyasi
- "House of Earth and Blood" by Sarah J. Maas
- "House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2)" by Sarah J. Maas
- "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
- "How to Be an Antiracist" by Ibram X. Kendi
I-J; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'I Am Jazz' to 'Juliet Takes a Breath'
- "I Am Jazz" by Jessica Herthel
- "I am Margaret Moore" by Hannah Capin
- "I am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika Sanchez
- "I Dissent: Ruth Bader Ginsburg Makes Her Mark" by Debbie Levy
- "I Never" by Laura Hopper
- "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson
- "I'm a Unicorn" by Helen Yoon
- "Identical" by Ellen Hopkins
- "If I Was Your Girl" by Meredith Russo
- "If There's No Tomorrow" by Jennifer L Armentrout
- "If You Come Softly" by Jacqueline Woodson
- "Impulse" by Ellen Hopkins
- "In Our Mothers' House" by Patricia Polacco
- "The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue" by Victoria E. Schwab
- "Infinity Son" by Adam Silvera
- "It Ends With Us" by Colleen Hoover
- "It's Perfectly Normal" by Robie H. Harris
- "Itty-Bitty Kitty Corn" by Shannon Hale
- "Jack (Not Jackie)" by Erica Silverman
- "Jesus Land: A Memoir" by Julia Scheeres
- "Julián is a Mermaid" by Jessica Love
- "Juliet Takes a Breath" by Gabby Rivera
K-L; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Kingdom of Ash' to 'Luna'
- "Kingdom of Ash" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Kiss Number 8" by Colleen AF Venable
- "Kissing Kate" by Lauren Myracle
- "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
- "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo
- "Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me" by Mariko Tamaki
- "Layla" by Colleen Hoover
- "The League of Super Feminists" by Mirion Malle
- "Leah On the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
- "Life is Funny" by E.R. Frank
- "Light It Up" by Kekla Magoon
- "Like a Love Story" by Abdi Nazemian
- "Lily and Dunkin" by Donna Gephart
- "Little & Lion" by Brandy Colbert
- "The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality" by St. Stephen's Community House
- "Living Dead Girl" by Elizabeth Scott
- "Lolita" by Vladimir Nabokov
- "Long Way Down" by Jason Reynolds
- "Looking for Alaska" by John Green
- "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
- "The Lovely Bones" by Alice Sebold
- "Lucky" by Alice Sebold
- "Luna" by Julie Anne Peters
M-N; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Making a Play' to 'Not My Problem'
- "Making a Play" by Abbi Glines
- "Man o' War" by Cory McCarthy
- "Marvin Redpost: Is He a Girl?" by Louis Sachar
- "Maus: A Survivor's Tale" by Art Spiegelman
- "Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began" by Art Spiegelman
- "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
- "Meet Cute" by Helena Hunting
- "Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy" by Rey Terciero"
- "Melissa (previously published as George)" by Alex Gino
- "Middle School's a Drag" by Greg Howard
- "Milk and Honey" by Rupi Kaur
- "Monday's Not Coming" by Tiffany Jackson
- "More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera
- "The Music of What Happens" by Bill Konigsberg
- "My Friend Dahmer" by Derf Backderf
- "My Jim: a Novel" by Nancy Rawles
- "Native Son" by Richard Wright
- "Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe" by Preston Norton
- "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult
- "No!" by David McPhail
- "None of the Above" by I.W. Gregorio
- "Normal People: A Novel" by Sally Rooney
- "Not My Problem" by Ciara Smyth
O-P; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Odd One Out' to 'Push'
- "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
- "On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God" by Louise Rennison"
- "Once Upon a Tim" by Stuart Gibbs
- "One Man Guy" by Michael Barakiva
- "One of Us is Lying" by Karen McManus
- "The Opposite of Innocent" by Sonya Sones
- "The Other Boy" by M.G. Hennessey
- "The Other Talk: Reckoning with Our White Privilege" by Brendan Kiely
- "Our Skin: A First Conversation About Race" by Megan Madison
- "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez
- "The Pants Project" by Cat Clarke
- "The Passing Playbook" by Isaac Fitzsimmons
- "Patrick's Polka-Dot Tights" by MacKenzie Haley
- "People Kill People" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Perfect" by Ellen Hopkins
- "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
- "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
- "The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo
- "Point of Retreat: A Novel" by Colleen Hoover
- "The Prince and the Dressmaker" by Jen Wang
- "Prince & Knight" by Daniel Haack
- "Project Nought" by Chelsey Furedi
- "Pumpkin" by Julie Murphy
- "Push" by Sapphire
Q-R; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Queen of Shadows' to 'Rick'
- "Queen of Shadows" by Sarah J. Maas
- "The Queer Bible: Essays" by Jack Guinness
- "Queer Power!: Icons, Activists & Game Changers from Across the Rainbow" by Dom&ink"
- "Queer: A Graphic History" by Meg-John Barker
- "Queer: The Ultimate LGBTQ Guide for Teens" by Kathy Belge
- "Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog" by Garth Stein
- "Rainbow Boy" by Taylor Rouanzion
- "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez
- "Ramona Blue" by Julie Murphy
- "Real Live Boyfriends: Yes. Boyfriends, Plural. If My Life Weren't Complicated, I Wouldn't be Ruby Oliver" by E. Lockhart"
- "Red at the Bone" by Jacqueline Woodson
- "Red Hood" by Elana K. Arnold
- "Redwood and Ponytail" by K.A. Holt (Kari Anne)
- "Relish: My Life in the Kitchen" by Lucy Knisley
- "Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise" by Dan Gemeinhart
- "Rhymes With Witches" by Lauren Myracle
- "Rick" by Alex Gino
S-T; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Sasaki and Miyano 4' to 'Twisted'
- "Sasaki and Miyano 4" by Sho Harusono
- "Scars" by C.A. Rainfield
- "She Felt Like Nothing" by R.H. Sin
- "Shine" by Lauren Myracle
- "Shiver" by Maggie Stiefvater
- "Shout" by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda" by Becky Albertalli
- "Slammed" by Colleen Hoover
- "Slaughterhouse-Five, or, the Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death" by Kurt Vonnegut
- "Smoke" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Sofia Valdez, Future Prez" by Andrea Beaty"
- "Sold" by Patricia McCormick
- "Something Happened in Our Town: A Child’s Story About Racial Injustice" by Marianne Celano
- "Something Like Possible" by Miel Moreland
- "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "Speak: The Graphic Novel" by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "Spinning" by Tillie Walden
- "Stained" by Jennifer Jacobson
- "Stamped (for Kids): Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi, adapted by Sonja Cherry-Paul
- "Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You" by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
- "Stealing Heaven" by Elizabeth Scott
- "Story of a Girl" by Sara Zarr
- "Sulwe" by Lupita Nyong'o
- "The Sun and her Flowers" by Rupi Kaur
- "Symptoms of Being Human" by Jeff Garvin
- "Talk - Conversations about Race, Love and Truth" by Wade Hudson
- "They Went Left" by Monica Hesse
- "Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher
- "This Book is Anti-Racist" by Tiffany Jewell
- "This Book is Gay" by Juno Dawson
- "This One Summer" by Jillian Tamaki
- "Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Tiger Eyes" by Judy Blume
- "Tilt" by Ellen Hopkins
- "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
- "Tower of Dawn" by Sarah J. Maas
- "Traffick" by Ellen Hopkins
- "Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard" by Alex Bertie
- "Trans Teen Survival Guide" by Fox Fisher
- "Tricks" by Ellen Hopkins
- "The Truth about Alice" by Jennifer Mathieu
- "TTFN (Ta Ta for Now)" by Lauren Myracle
- "TTYL (Talk to You Later)" by Lauren Myracle
- "Turning 15 on the Road to Freedom: My Story of the 1965 Selma Voting Rights March" by Lynda Blackmon Lowery
- "Twisted" by Laurie Halse Anderson
U-Y; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man' to 'The You I've Never Known'
- "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man" by Emmanuel Acho
- "Unpregnant" by Jenni Henriks
- "Unravel Me" by Tahereh Mafi
- "The Upside of Unrequited" by Becky Albertalli
- "Vampire Academy" by Richelle Mead
- "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen
- "We are not yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide" by Carol Anderson
- "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson
- "We Need to Talk About Vaginas: An Important Book about Vulvas, Periods, Puberty, and Sex!" by Allison K. Rodgers
- "We Rise, We Resist, We Raise Our Voices" by Wade Hudson
- "What about Will" by Ellen Hopkins
- "What Girls Are Made Of" by Elana K. Arnold
- "What My Mother Doesn't Know" by Sonya Sones
- "What Was Stonewall?" by Nico Medina
- "When Aidan Became a Brother" by Kyle Lukoff
- "When I Was the Greatest" by Jason Reynolds
- "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens
- "Who has What?: All About Girls' Bodies and Boys' Bodies" by Robie H. Harris
- "Why: A Conversation About Race" by Taye Diggs
- "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West" by Gregory Maguire
- "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson
- "The Witch Boy" by Molly Ostertag
- "Woke: A Young Poet's Call to Justice" by Mahogany Browne
- "The Year of the Flood" by Margaret Atwood
- "Yolk" by Mary H.K. Choi
- "YOLO" by Lauren Myracle
- "You: A Novel" by Caroline Kepnes
- "The You I've Never Known" by Ellen Hopkins
Banned Books Week:How to get your hands on challenged books in Indiana
Contributing: Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY, Mike Trautmann, Des Moines Register; Douglas Soule, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida.
John Tuftscovers trending news for IndyStar and Midwest Connect. Send him a news tip atJTufts@Gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter atJTuftsReports.