Banned Books Week, October 4-10, 2026, is a celebration of the freedom to read and the resistance to censorship worldwide.
This year’s theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.” Banned Books Week launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of book challenges in libraries, schools, and bookstores.
The 2025 data reported to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) shows that the majority of book censorship attempts continue to originate from organized movements. In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers, up from 72% in 2024. Less than 3% of challenges originated from individual parents.
The most common justifications for censorship provided by complainants were false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice.
Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. OIF tracked 4,235 unique titles challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023. Of the unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (40%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color. (American Library Association)
In Oregon, organized groups only made up 13% of challenges. Additionally in Oregon, only 3 items (4% of total challenged) were censored.
References
American Library Association. (2026). . American Library Association. https://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10
