The 13 most banned books of 2022: 'Gender Queer' tops library association's list for second year

It's not your imagination, and it's not fearmongering: Books, and our free and ready access to them, are under attack in the U.S.

The American Library Association has the data to prove it. 

The library association on Monday released its list of the 13 most challenged books of 2022, the titles that have been the biggest targets of banning efforts in schools and public libraries. The last few years have seen a dramatic uptick in book-banning attempts, an escalation of censorship tactics, and the coordinated harassment of teachers and librarians as political groups and parent associations target works of literature containing what they deem to be objectionable material for young readers.

For more information on book-banning attempts and how to fight against them, visit ala.org. 

Here's more on the 13 most-challenged titles of 2022:

Most banned books of 2022 

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For the second year running, Maia Kobabe's autobiographical graphic novel "Gender Queer," about the author's gender journey and eventual coming out as nonbinary, was the No. 1 title on the American Library Association's banned books list.

"Gender Queer" for $21.99 at Amazon

"Gender Queer" for $18.59 at Bookshop 

Here is a complete list of the 13 most-targeted titles of 2022:

• "Gender Queer" by Maia Kobabe.
• "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson.
• "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison.
• "Flamer" by Mike Curato.
• "Looking for Alaska" by John Green.
• "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky. 
• "Lawn Boy" by Jonathan Evison.
• "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie.
• "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez.
• "A Court of Mist and Fury" by Sarah J. Maas.
• "Crank" by Ellen Hopkins.
• "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews.
• "This Book Is Gay" by Juno Dawson.

Why do people want to ban these books?

Many of the titles on this year's list are perennial targets for banning attempts. Nobel laureate Morrison's "The Bluest Eye" has been targeted since its release in 1970 for its unsparing depictions of racism and sexual abuse. Alexie's 2007 book "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," written from the perspective of a teenage Native American, has been targeted for its depictions of violence and sexuality.

"The Bluest Eye" for $13.99 at Amazon

"The Bluest Eye" for $14.88 at Bookshop

"The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" for $13.37 at Amazon

 "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" for $15.80 at Bookshop

The past couple of years have seen increased efforts to ban books about sexuality and gender expression specifically, many by LGBTQ authors including Kobabe and Johnson, who top this year's list. 

One new entry on the list, Maas' 2016 romantic fantasy "A Court of Misty and Fury," was targeted alongside "Gender Queer" in a Virginia lawsuit that sought to declare the two books as obscene for children and restrict their distribution to minors. A judge dismissed the lawsuit in August. 

"A Court of Mist and Fury" for $8.21 at Amazon

"A Court of Mist and Fury" for $17.67 at Bookshop

"Gender Queer" for $20.10 at Amazon

"Gender Queer" for $18.59 at Bookshop

Book bans are at a record high 

Attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2022, according to a report from the American Library Association released in March.

More than 1,200 challenges were compiled by the association in 2022, nearly double the then-record total from 2021 and by far the most since the association began keeping data 20 years ago, with 2,571 unique titles challenged.

"I've never seen anything like this," says Deborah Caldwell-Stone, who directs the library association's Office for Intellectual Freedom. "The last two years have been exhausting, frightening (and) outrage inducing."

Ashley Hope Pérez, whose young adult novel "Out of Darkness" once again makes the list, called the banning efforts "devastating" in an interview with USA TODAY last year.

"I’m a former high school teacher, and I think about the kids who are losing access to stories that they need," she said. "Many of the people bringing challenges don’t even have school-age children. For the most part, it’s not actually parents concerned about their kids, it’s people who’ve been swept up into a political game."

Keep reading on banned books:

• Banned books hit record high: Challenges to books higher than ever in 2022
• 'Gender Queer' author Maia Kobabe Q&A: Banned books 'part of a widescale political attack'
• 'Can’t take these freedoms for granted': Authors of most banned books in the U.S. speak up
• Book bans are on the rise: What are the most banned books and why?
• 'A chilling effect': What happens to our culture when books are banned?
• Banned books: 51 challenged books you should read now

Contributing: Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Most banned books of 2022: List includes 'Gender Queer,' 'Bluest Eye'