The most targeted titles of 2025 were:
1. Sold by Patricia McCormick
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
3. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe
4. Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas
5. (tie) Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
5. (tie) Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
7. A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
8. (tie) A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
8. (tie) Identical by Ellen Hopkins
8. (tie) Looking for Alaska by John Green
8. (tie) Storm and Fury by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The list has some perennial contenders, but I was a bit surprised to see A Clockwork Orange, which was banned in the 70s and early 80s in some U.S. school districts; Stanley Kubrick's film adaptation was also withdrawn or banned in several countries for decades. The novel hasn't been a top target for a while, but in 2024, it was banned from schools in Katy, Texas, near Houston; the same school board also banned Slaughterhouse Five, a book we've highlighted before.
The most disturbing statistic is that, "in 2025, 92 percent of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers, up from 72 percent in 2024. Less than 3 percent of challenges originated from individual parents."
The American Library Association has a number of useful graphics, updated for this year (click any for a larger view):
To repeat a point we've often made: it's fine if someone doesn't want to read a particular book, and when children are minors, parents have the right to restrict their children's reading (regardless of the wisdom of their specific decisions). But to ban a book means taking away that choice from other parents and their children, and even more problematically, other adult citizens.
Meanwhile, although banning books is problematic even if it's attempted by a sincere if misguided individual, it's much more threatening when it's the result of political figures and organized political groups. (As we've explored before, many of the would-be book banners have never even read the books in question.) Libraries and schools are important public institutions, and when conscientious people are allowed to run them without harassment, libraries and schools help develop a more informed citizenry and can encourage a flourishing democracy.
