Banned Books Week
October 4–10, 2026
Read Freely With Los Angeles Public Library
Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools. For more than 40 years, the annual event has brought together the entire book community—librarians, teachers, booksellers, publishers, writers, journalists, and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas, even those some consider unorthodox or unpopular.
The books featured during Banned Books Week have all been targeted for removal or restriction in libraries and schools. By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship.
The majority of library censorship remains tied to organized campaigns. Pressure groups and the decision makers they influenced targeted 7,884 total titles in 2025.
ALA.org/bbooks
In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
ALA.org/bbooks
ALA documented 713 attempts to censor library materials and services, 487 of which targeted books.
ALA.org/bbooks
Read Freely!
The Los Angeles Public Library offers a selection of the most challenged books reported to the American Library Association available to anyone in the United States, ages 13 and up. Sign up to access the titles.
Libby/Overdrive Books
Titles from the annual American Library Association's Top Challenged Books lists are available on Libby.
Top 11 Most Challenged Books 2025
Every year, ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles a list of the Top 10 Most Challenged Books in order to inform the public about censorship in libraries and schools. The lists are based on information from confidential reports filed by library professionals and community members, as well as news stories published throughout the United States.