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'All Boys Aren't Blue' tops the ALA's list of most challenged books
<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <title>'All Boys Aren't Blue' tops the ALA's list of most challenged books</title> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width"> <link id="favicon" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/png" href="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAQCAYAAAAf8/9hAAAAAXNSR0IArs4c6QAAAHlJREFUOBFjYBgFFIcA48cYpf/opvAv+YouxODXshZDbFONDSMLSJRv8V245KdYZTD7//8XcDFGRgkwe2O1NVzMv/UomA02AMQCaUQ2CCQG0ohsEEgMphHEBgEmCIWdRNeMTRXYBTBnw2iYQpjTYXx022Hio/RAhwAAjXEfJrIXnj4AAAAASUVORK5CYII="> <style> body { display: block; padding: 0px 20px; max-width: 550px; margin: 0 auto; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; } .full-version-link { margin-left: 15px; } .slug-line { font-size: 1.1rem; margin-bottom: 15px; } .hr-line { position: relative; height: 4px; } .hr-line:after { background: linear-gradient(to right, #e60000 0%, #e60000 33.33%, #000000 33.33%, #000000 66.66%, #3366CC 66.66%); position: absolute; content: ''; height: 4px; right: 0; left: 0; top: 0; } hr.gray { border: .5px solid gray; } .story-title { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; margin: 0; } .topic-heading { line-height: 2rem; font-size: 1.5rem; } .topic-container>ul { padding: 0; line-height: 1.4rem; } .topic-container li { display: block; padding-bottom: 15px; } .topic-container { margin-top: 20px; } .topic-date { margin: 20px 0; font-style: italic; } .paragraphs-container { line-height: 1.5rem; } .button:link, .button:visited { background-color: white; color: black; border: 2px solid black; padding: 4px 8px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; display: inline-block; } .button:hover, .button:active { background-color: black; color: white; } .lower-nav-container { margin-top: 40px; } .lower-nav-container li { margin-left: 0; display: inline; padding-right: 20px; } h6 { text-transform: uppercase; } </style> </head> <body> <header> <p>Text-Only Version <a class="full-version-link button" href="https://www.npr.org/nx-s1-5354808">Go To Full Site</a></p> </header> <main> <article> <div class="story-container"> <p class="slug-line"> <a class="slug-link" href="/">NPR</a> > <a class="slug-link" href="/1161">Book News & Features</a> </p> <div class="story-head"> <h1 class="story-title">'All Boys Aren't Blue' tops the ALA's list of most challenged books</h1> <p>By Andrew Limbong</p> <p>Monday, April 7, 2025 • 11:28 AM EDT</p> </div> <div class="hr-line"></div> <div class="paragraphs-container"> <p>George M. Johnson's memoir <a href="/2023/01/11/1148343123/author-george-m-johnson-all-boys-arent-blue-book-ban" target="_blank"><em>All Boys Aren't Blue</em></a> has been a <a href="https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10/archive" target="_blank">target of book challenges</a> for years. According to a <a href="https://www.ala.org/news/state-americas-libraries-report-2025" target="_blank">new report by the American Library Association</a> (ALA), it was the most challenged book of 2024.</p><p>The ALA <a href="https://www.ala.org/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks" target="_blank">defines a challenge</a> as "an attempt to remove or restrict materials, based upon the objections of a person or group." Other frequently challenged books include <a href="/2023/01/04/1146874011/author-maia-kobabe-gender-queer-book-ban" target="_blank">Maia Kobabe's <em>Gender Queer</em></a>, Toni Morrison's <em>The Bluest Eye</em> and Stephen Chbosky's <em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower. </em></p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/nx-s1-4941240">NPR</a> <hr><p>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.</p><p>A majority of the titles challenged were either about queer people or people of color.</p><p>"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.</p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/1222539335">NPR</a> <hr><p>The report comes just a week after President Trump moved to dismantle the <a href="/2025/03/31/nx-s1-5334415/doge-institute-of-museum-and-library-services" target="_blank">Institute of Museum and Library Services</a> (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 <a href="https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/ag/press_releases/2025/imls.pdf?rev=534e79cca75441cd92423dfbb87aef86&hash=E25666EFF2CDBEA257CE91E0B39B9517" target="_blank">filed a lawsuit against </a>President Trump to stop him from shutting down three federal agencies, including the IMLS.</p><p>Below is the list of the ALA's top 10 most challenged books in 2024:</p><p>1. <em>All Boys Aren't Blue,</em> by George M. Johnson</p><p>2.<em> Gender Queer,</em> by Maia Kobabe</p><p>3. (TIE) <em>The Bluest Eye,</em> by Toni Morrison</p><p>3. (TIE) <em>The Perks of Being a Wallflower,</em> by Stephen Chbosky</p><p>5. <em>Tricks,</em> by Ellen Hopkins</p><p>6. (TIE) <em>Looking for Alaska,</em> by John Green</p><p>6. (TIE) <em>Me and Earl and the Dying Girl</em>, by Jesse Andrews</p><p>8. (TIE) <em>Crank,</em> by Ellen Hopkins</p><p>8. (TIE) <em>Sold,</em> by Patricia McCormick</p><p>10. <em>Flamer,</em> by Mike Curato</p> <hr> Related Story: <a href="/1093095474">NPR</a> <hr> </div> </div> </article> </main> <div class="hr-line"></div> <nav> <p>Topics</p> <ul> <li><a href="/1001">News</a></li> <li><a href="/1008">Culture</a></li> <li><a href="/1039">Music</a></li> </ul> </nav> <footer> <nav class="lower-nav-container"> <li><a href="/614470770">Contact Us</a></li> <li><a href="/179876898">Terms of Use</a></li> <li><a href="/179881519">Permissions</a></li> <li><a href="/179878450">Privacy Policy</a></li> </nav> <p>© NPR</p> </footer> </body> </html>