The American Library Association and Banned Books Week Coalition are pleased to announce the theme for Banned Books Week 2026: “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” Banned Books Week will take place October 4–10, 2026.
In 2025, the American Library Association documented the second highest level of book censorship attempts ever and the continuation of an organized effort to systematically suppress voices and ideas that began in 2021. Last year, 4,235 unique titles were challenged, only five titles short of the highest number ever documented by ALA and significantly exceeding the annual average of 273 unique titles over the period from 2001–2020.
The American Library Association documented 487 attempts to censor books at libraries, schools, and universities in 2025. The reasons most commonly cited for censorship were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ representation; covering topics of race, racism, social justice, and diversity; and presenting political or religious views with which the challengers disagreed. Of the 4,235 unique titles that were challenged or banned in 2025, here are the top 11 most frequently targeted:
