Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (2024)

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.

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (1)

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'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (3)

And Tango Makes Three:Facing lawsuit, Florida school board returns banned books to shelves

Ban this Book 'Challenges our authority'School board in Florida bans book about book bans

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (4)

C-D; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Call Me By Your Name' to 'Dumplin: Go Big or Go Home'

Banned Books Week:Most challenged titles and how publishers are pushing back

E-F; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Eleanor & Park' to 'Friday'

Books challenged in Indiana:Amid backlash, HamCo library puts John Green's 'The Fault in Our Stars' back in teen section

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (5)

G-H; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Gabi, a Girl in Pieces' to 'How to Be an Antiracist'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (6)
Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (7)

I-J; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'I Am Jazz' to 'Juliet Takes a Breath'

K-L; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Kingdom of Ash' to 'Luna'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (8)

M-N; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Making a Play' to 'Not My Problem'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (9)
Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (10)
Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (11)

O-P; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Odd One Out' to 'Push'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (12)

Q-R; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Queen of Shadows' to 'Rick'

S-T; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Sasaki and Miyano 4' to 'Twisted'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (13)
Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (14)
Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (15)

U-Y; Books that Hoosiers challenged, from 'Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man' to 'The You I've Never Known'

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (16)

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.

Hoosiers challenged these 346 books at Indiana libraries last year. Is your favorite listed? (2024)
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