HKS Library Book Displays

Welcome to our digital exhibit on Banned Books Week. This page is a companion to the physical display in the HKS Library, available through October 2025. Harvard affiliates can request books via HOLLIS, for pick-up at the library of your choice.

What is Banned Books Week?

Organized annually by the American Library Association (ALA) for the past 40 years, Banned Books Week "celebrates the freedom to read and spotlights current and historical attempts to censor books in libraries and schools." Banned Books Week 2025 takes place from October 5-11, but the HKS Library's display will be up for the entire month of October.

What is a Book Ban / Book Challenge?

As defined by PEN America, a book ban refers to "any action taken against a book based on its content and as a result of parent or community challenges, administrative decisions, or in response to direct or threatened action by lawmakers or other governmental officials, that leads to a previously accessible book being either completely removed from availability to students, or where access to a book is restricted or diminished." When a book faces threat from these actions, the book is known as being "challenged."

How Many Books Were Challenged in 2024?

Since 2021, libraries across the U.S. have faced an unprecedented number of attempts to ban books. In the 2023-2024 school year, PEN America recorded 10,046 challenges to 4,231 unique titles. This is the highest number of annual book bans ever recorded.

What Kinds of Books Have Been Challenged?

According to PEN America, since 2021 book challenges have predominantly targeted "books about race and racism or individuals of color and also books on LGBTQ+ topics as well those for older readers that have sexual references or discuss sexual violence."

During the 2023-2024 school year...

• 44% of challenges targeted books featuring characters of color.
• 39% of challenges targeted books featuring LGBTQ+ characters.
• 60% of banned titles were written for young adult audiences and depicted topics young people may confront in their daily lives, including death and grief, substance abuse, mental health, suicide, and sexual violence.

Where are Book Challenges Coming From?

Before 2020, most book challenges were brought by a single parent who sought to remove or restrict access to a book their child was reading. This changed in 2022, when 90% of reported book challenges targeted multiple titles - many up to 100 books at once (ALA, 2023).

During the 2023-2024 school year...

• 72% of book challenges were brought by organized advocacy groups and government entities that include elected officials, board members and administrators.
• 16% of book challenges were brought by parents.
• 5% of book challenges were brought by individual library users.

This list is ranked in order of the number of challenges each book has received, according to the American Library Association and PEN America.