Book bans continue at record pace in 2023, American Library Association reports

The nationwide surge in book bannings continues. The American Library Association is reporting that challenges to books in schools and public libraries will likely reach record highs in 2023, topping what had been a record pace in 2022. School libraries had long been the predominant target, but in 2023 reports have been near-equally divided between schools and libraries open to the general public, the ALA announced Wednesday. The ALA released its numbers in advance of its annual banned books week, Oct. 1-7, when libraries highlight challenged works.