This page tells you a little bit more information about who challenges books, where they are challenged, and the reasons given for challenging them.
Books & materials are challenged by a variety of people and groups. This graph shows who challenged these books according to complaints reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom.
The following word cloud shows the most common reasons complainants gave for challenging a book in order to remove access to it in 2017.
The American Library Association estimates that 82-97% of book challenges ("silent challenges") go unreported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom. This is for a variety of reasons including the fear of losing their job, public criticism and attacks, and more. The Top 10 List of Banned & Challenged Books, as well as the information on why they were challenged and who challenged the books as seen on this page, is based on what is reported to the ALA Office of Intellectual Freedom. "Public Challenges" are challenges that are reported and verified by a third party.
Books aren't the only items threatened by censorship. Thirty-three percent of challenges are in respect to other things that can be found in a library. In fact, there has recently been a challenge to an LGBTQ display in Utah and an order to remove the display as well as a challenge to a Drag Queen Story Time program in Lafayette, LA.
