As recently as 2010, the award-winning teen novel âLooking for Alaskaâ topped the American Library Associationâs list of books most often challenged by parents and community members, thanks largely to a single sex scene.
Just two years ago, eight of the 10 books on the ALAâs most-banned list featured LGBTQ topics.
But 2020 was a year like no other, and that was reflected in the books Americans tried to exile from classrooms and library shelves. Four of the top 10 most challenged or banned books of 2020 named by the American Library Association tackled issues highlighted by the Black Lives Matter movement, including anti-Black racism and allegations of police brutality.