‘All Boys Aren’t Blue’ tops the ALA’s list of most challenged books
George M. Johnson’s memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue has been a target of book challenges for years. According to a new report by the American Library Association (ALA), it was the most challenged book of 2024.
The ALA defines a challenge as “an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group.” Other frequently challenged books include Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer, Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
According to the report, there were 821 attempts to censor library books across all library types in 2024. This is down from the previous year, though still the third-highest number of book challenges recorded by the ALA. The report also noted that 72% of demands to censor books in school and public libraries came from “pressure groups, elected officials, board members and administrators” compared to the 16% that came from parents.
A majority of the titles challenged were either about queer people or people of color.
“We are witnessing an effort to eliminate entire genres and categories of books from library shelves in pursuit of a larger goal of placing politics and religion over the well-being and education of young people and everyone’s right to access and find information in our libraries,” wrote Deborah Caldwell-Stone, director of the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom.
The report comes just a week after President Trump moved to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), placing its entire staff on administrative leave. The IMLS is the federal agency that provides grant funding to libraries and museums across the country. On Friday, 21 attorneys general filed a lawsuit against President Trump to stop him from shutting down three federal agencies, including the IMLS.
Below is the list of the ALA’s top 10 most challenged books in 2024:
1. All Boys Aren’t Blue, by George M. Johnson
2. Gender Queer, by Maia Kobabe
3. (TIE) The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
3. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
5. Tricks, by Ellen Hopkins
6. (TIE) Looking for Alaska, by John Green
6. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, by Jesse Andrews
8. (TIE) Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
8. (TIE) Sold, by Patricia McCormick
10. Flamer, by Mike Curato
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