Banned Book

TOP 10 MOST CHALLENGED BOOKS OF 2023 (ISBN: BNBALA)

Every year, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States. 

Because many book challenges are not reported to the ALA or covered by the press, the Top Most Challenged Books lists and data compiled by ALA represent only a snapshot of book challenges. A challenge to a book may be resolved in favor of retaining the book in the collection, or it can result in a book being restricted or withdrawn from the library. 

ALA documented 4,240 unique book titles targeted for censorship in 2023 - a 65% surge over 2022 numbers - as well as 1,247 demands to censor library books, materials, and resources. Pressure groups focused on public libraries in addition to targeting school libraries. The number of titles targeted for censorship at public libraries increased by 92% over the previous year, accounting for about 46% of all book challenges in 2023. 

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe: 9781549304002 $19.99

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson: 9781250895561 $12.99

This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson: 9781728254326 $12.99

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: 9780671027346 $15.99

Flamer by Mike Curato: 9781250756145 $17.99

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison: 9780307278449 $16.00 

Me, Earl, And the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews: 9781419719608 $11.99

Tricks by Ellen Hopkins: 9781481498241 $14.99 

Let's Talk About It by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan: 9781984893147 $17.99

Sold by Patricia McCormick: 9780786851720 $11.99

Subtotal: $152.91 

Tax: $10.71

Due: $163.62 

Here is a book as joyous and painful, as mysterious and memorable, as childhood itself. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings captures the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry, and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Maya Angelou's debut memoir is a modern American classic beloved worldwide.

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local "powhitetrash." At eight years old and back at her mother's side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age--and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors ("I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare") will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned.

Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.

"I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity."--James Baldwin