The DC Public Library, as a First Amendment institution, is dedicated to safeguarding freedom of speech, assembly, and association. From Sept. 22 - 28, DC Public Library is celebrating your freedom to read with Banned Books Week. DC Public Library is proud to be a space where you are Freed Between the Lines to find your story. We understand that your story will evolve over time. Sometimes you may reach for something that feels comfortable and familiar, reflecting your experiences back to you. At times you may be struck unexpectedly by a story, seeing an authentic version of yourself that you didn't even know was there. And there are times you may feel the urge to seek out new perspectives so that you can open your eyes to a broader worldview. This year's national theme Freed Between the Lines illustrates that power of being able to open a book that helps you find your story.
Unfortunately, this freedom is not guaranteed. In 2023, there was another alarming record increase in challenges to library materials, particularly those related to LGBTQIA+ subjects or concerning communities of color. 4,240 unique titles were targeted, reflecting a staggering 65% rise from 2022 (which was a 38% increase from the year prior). This rise in censorship attempts threatens our ability to be exactly who we are, to learn new things and to challenge ourselves to grow.
Stop by your neighborhood library this week to check out a banned book, join in on a discussion at an event, learn more about the history and impact of censorship and more. Together, we can ensure that everyone remains Freed Between the Lines.
Most Banned Books of 2023
1. "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe
Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity--what it means and how to think about it--for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere
Number of Challenges
106
Reasons for Challenge
Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.
2. "All Boys Aren’t Blue" by George M. Johnson
In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia
Number of Challenges
82
Reasons for Challenge
Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.
3. "This Book Is Gay" by Juno Dawson
Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for YOU.
There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and instruction manual. THIS IS THAT INSTRUCTION MANUAL. You're welcome.
Inside you'll find the answers to all the questions you ever wanted to ask: from sex to politics, hooking up to stereotypes, coming out and more. This candid, funny, and uncensored exploration of sexuality and what it's like to grow up LGBT also includes real stories from people across the gender and sexual spectrums, not to mention hilarious illustrations.
You will be entertained. You will be informed. But most importantly, you will know that however you identify (or don't) and whomever you love, you are exceptional. You matter. And so does this book.
Number of Challenges
71
Reasons for Challenge
LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit
4. "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky
Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor. This is the story of what it's like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up.
Number of Challenges
68
Reasons for Challenge
Banned and challenged for the depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity and was claimed to be sexually explicit.
5. "Flamer" by Mike Curato
It's the summer between middle school and high school, and Aiden Navarro is away at camp. Everyone's going though changes--but for Aiden, the stakes feel higher. As he navigates friendships, deals with bullies, and spends time with Elias (a boy he can't stop thinking about), he finds himself on a path of self-discovery and acceptance. Award-winning author, artst, and Eagle Scout Mike Curato draws on his own experiences in his debut graphic novel, telling a difficult story with humor, compassion, and love.
Number of Challenges
67
Reasons for Challenge
Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and was claimed to be sexually explicit.
6. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Pecola Breedlove, a young eleven-year-old black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in. Yet as her dreams grow more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity.
Number of Challenges
62
Reasons for Challenge
Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit.
7. (tie) "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
This is the funniest book you'll ever read about death.
It is a universally acknowledged truth that high school sucks. But on the first day of his senior year, Greg Gaines thinks he's figured it out. The answer to the basic existential question: How is it possible to exist in a place that sucks so bad? His strategy: remain at the periphery at all times. Keep an insanely low profile. Make mediocre films with the one person who is even sort of his friend, Earl.
This plan works for exactly eight hours. Then Greg's mom forces him to become friends with a girl who has cancer. This brings about the destruction of Greg's entire life.
Fiercely funny, honest, heart-breaking--this is an unforgettable novel from a bright talent, now also a film that critics are calling "a touchstone for its generation" and "an instant classic."
Number of Challenges
56
Reasons for Challenge
Profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
8. (tie) "Tricks" by Sarah J. Maas
Five teenagers from different parts of the country. Three girls. Two guys. Four straight. One gay. Some rich. Some poor. Some from great families. Some with no one at all. All living their lives as best they can, but all searching...for freedom, safety, community, family, love. What they don't expect, though, is all that can happen when those powerful little words "I love you" are said for all the wrong reasons.
Five moving stories remain separate at first, then interweave to tell a larger, powerful story -- a story about making choices, taking leaps of faith, falling down, and growing up. A story about kids figuring out what sex and love are all about, at all costs, while asking themselves, "Can I ever feel okay about myself?"
A brilliant achievement from New York Times best-selling author Ellen Hopkins -- who has been called "the bestselling living poet in the country" by mediabistro.com -- Tricks is a book that turns you on and repels you at the same time. Just like so much of life.
Number of Challenges
56
Reasons for Challenge
Claimed to be sexually explicit
9. "Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human" by Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Is what I'm feeling normal? Is what my body is doing normal? Am I normal? How do I know what are the right choices to make? How do I know how to behave? How do I fix it when I make a mistake? Let's talk about it. Growing up is complicated. How do you find the answers to all the questions you have about yourself, about your identity, and about your body? Let's Talk About It provides a comprehensive, thoughtful, well-researched graphic novel guide to everything you need to know.
Covering relationships, friendships, gender, sexuality, anatomy, body image, safe sex, sexting, jealousy, rejection, sex education, and more, Let's Talk About It is the go-to handbook for every teen, and the first in graphic novel form.
Number of challenges
55
Reasons for Challenged
Drug use, claimed to be sexually explicit
10. "Sold" by Patricia McCormick
He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at "Happiness House" full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family's debt-then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave. Lakshmi's life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape. Still, she lives by her mother's words--Simply to endure is to triumph-- and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision: will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life?
Written in spare and evocative vignettes by the co-author of I Am Malala (Young Readers Edition), this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.
Books for Children and Families
Books for Teens
Books for Adults
Banned Books Week Author Talks Streaming on Demand
Stream recorded conversations with banned and challenged authors and journalists who discuss their work, grapple with what it means to lose intellectual freedom and how they are raising awareness of the importance of access to diverse stories.