How many times did lawmakers or grassroots organizations try and censor access to certain books in Ohio in 2025?
The American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom has released its nationwide data detailing attempts by both lawmakers and pressure groups to try and restrict access to certain books or even ban them altogether from libraries, public schools and colleges. The new data comes during National Library Week, which runs from April 19 to April 25.
For 2025, the ALA saw the second highest number of unique titles challenged at 4,235 effiorts. The ALA defines a “challenge” as any attempt to have a library resource removed or its access restricted, based on the objections of a person or group.
The number of challenges recorded in 2025 was slightly lower than a record year in 2023, with 4,240 recorded challenges, according to the ALA. Nearly 40% of 2025 challenges involved books about LGBTQIA+ people and people of color, according to the ALA.
The most challenged books include: “Sold” by Patricia McCormick, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky, “Gender Queer” by Maia Kobabe, “Empire of Storms” by Sarah J. Maas, “Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo and “Tricks” by Ellen Hopkins
There were also 713 attempts to censor or restrict library materials, and 487 of those attempts specifically targeted books. Around 92% of all book challenges initiated in 2025 were started by pressure groups, government officials and decision makers, which is an increase from 72% recorded in 2024, according to data from the ALA. Less than 3% of challenges were brought by individual parents, according to the ALA.
The ALA also documented more than 5,600 books that were banned from libraries across the country, which represents 66% of the total number of books that were challenged. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions, such as relocation or requiring parents’ permission.
The data on book challenges is reported from library professionals across the country and from news stories published throughout the U.S. However, not all book challenges are reported by the press or to the ALA, the organization said.
How many book challenges were reported in Ohio in 2025?
Ohio recorded a total of 7 book challenges for 129 book titles in 2025, according to data from the ALA.
The top three targeted books in Ohio were all written by Rick Riordan: “The Sword of Summer,” “The Hammer of Thor,” and “The Ship of the Dead,” according to the ALA.
Ohio saw an increasing number of book challenges between 2021 and 2023. In 2021, there were 10 recorded attempts to restrict access to books and other forms of media, and 15 book titles that were specifically challenged. In 2022, those numbers jumped to 32 and 79, respectively.
In 2023, the number of restriction attempts jumped to 40, while the number of book titles that were challenged nearly tripled to 235, according to data from the ALA. In 2024, the number of attempts dropped to 16, and the number of book challenges dropped to 26.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, at ShahidMeighan on X, and at shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Which books were most targeted for banning in Ohio in 2025? See the top titles
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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