The freedom to pick up whatever book you want at the library is facing a massive pushback right now. According to the American Library Association, the number of attempts to ban books is staying at record-breaking levels and these efforts have become a highly organized political movement.
On Monday, the ALA dropped its yearly list of the books that people tried to ban most often. This report is a major part of their State of America’s Libraries coverage. Taking the top spot for 2025 is Patricia McCormick’s “Sold,” a book from 2006 that deals with sex trafficking. Other big names on the list include “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, and Sarah J. Maas’ fantasy hit “Empire of Storms.”
The list usually only has 10 books, but it jumped to 11 this year because of a four-way tie for eighth place. That tie included the classic “A Clockwork Orange,” along with “Identical,” “Looking for Alaska,” and “Storm and Fury.”
People are complaining about everything from LGBTQ+ characters and sexual violence to the mention of characters smoking or drinking. In total, the ALA saw challenges to 4,235 different books, almost topping the all-time high set in 2023.
The ALA describes a challenge as “an attempt to have a library resource removed, or access to it restricted, based on the objections of a person or group.”
During National Library Week, ALA President Sam Helmick reminded everyone what libraries are actually for.
“Libraries exist to make space for every story and every lived experience,” Helmick said. “As we celebrate National Library Week, we reaffirm that libraries are places for knowledge, for access, and for all.”
For a long time, these complaints usually came from a single parent in a local town. But lately, things have shifted toward government officials and activist groups like Moms for Liberty. In 2025, more than 90% of these challenges came from these types of groups. Sarah Lamdan, who runs the ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom, says this is a deliberate move.
“In 2025, book bans were not sparked by concerned parents, and they were not the result of local grassroots efforts,” Lamdan said. “They were part of a well-funded, politically-driven campaign.”
States like Florida, Texas, and Utah are passing a lot of new rules to limit what can be in libraries. In Iowa, a recent court ruling even lets the state enforce a law that stops teachers from talking about LGBTQ+ topics with younger kids and bans certain books. Lamdan says activists are passing around lists of books to target across the whole country. “I think this reflects the reality that these lists are getting disseminated widely,” Lamdan said. “You can see video footage from various library board meetings where the same books are singled out over and over again.”
