‘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

 

Cannabis works better than opioids for back pain, in two European studies

Millions of Americans use weed to treat chronic pain, but there's little high quality research on whether it works. New findings suggest it can be effective for low back pain, on par with opioids.

Can collagen supplements improve your skin? Here’s what the research shows

With age comes wisdom. And wrinkles. And joint pain. In wellness circles, the buzz is that collagen supplements can help with all these concerns. But are these claims something you should swallow?

As deadline for Trump’s colleges compact looms, schools signal dissent

Of the original nine schools that received the Trump administration's Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education, the majority have indicated they are not planning on signing.

Centrist Rodrigo Paz wins Bolivia’s presidential runoff, topping right-wing rival

Centrist senator Rodrigo Paz won Bolivia's presidency with 54% of the vote, ending 20 years of rule by the Movement Toward Socialism party amid economic turmoil.

Trump announces tariffs and an end to U.S. aid to Colombia amid clash over drug trade

The U.S. will slash assistance to Colombia and enact tariffs on its exports because the country's leader, Gustavo Petro, "does nothing to stop" drug production, President Donald Trump said Sunday.

Sam Rivers, bassist and founding member of Limp Bizkit, dies aged 48

"Sam Rivers wasn't just our bass player — he was pure magic. The pulse beneath every song, the calm in the chaos, the soul in the sound," Limp Bizkit said in a social media post Saturday.

More Front Page Coverage