The American Library Association released its list of the 10 most challenged books of 2023, with Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer taking the No. 1 spot for the third consecutive year.
Kobabe’s graphic memoir, about growing up as a nonbinary person, has long been one of the most controversial books in U.S. schools and libraries, drawing frequent challenges and bans. Last December, a complaint about the book in a Massachusetts town led a police officer to visit a middle school to investigate it.
The second most challenged book of 2023 was George M. Johnson’s young adult memoir All Boys Aren’t Blue; the book also took the No. 2 spot in 2022. At No. 3 was Juno Dawson’s This Book Is Gay, followed by Stephen Chbosky’s The Perks of Being a Wallflower and Mike Curato’s Flamer.
The top 10 was rounded out by Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, Ellen Hopkins’ Tricks, Jesse Andrews’ Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan’s Let’s Talk About It, and Patricia McCormick’s Sold.
Seven of the 10 most challenged books contain LGBTQ+ themes or characters, and all of them were challenged for supposed sexual content.
Emily Drabinski, the president of the ALA, said in a statement, “In looking at the titles of the most challenged books from last year, it’s obvious that the pressure groups are targeting books about LGBTQIA+ people and people of color. At ALA, we are fighting for the freedom to choose what you want to read. Shining a light on the harmful workings of these pressure groups is one of the actions we must take to protect our right to read.”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
