One of your favorite books could be a banned or challenged book.
The titles Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, and Looking for Alaska by John Green may be familiar to you because of their popularity, but they were also in the top ten most challenged books during the 2025-2026 school year according to the American Library Association (ALA 2026).
In my sophomore year, I wrote a report for banned and challenged books, and I was shocked to see how many of the books I had read. Every year I check in on the banned and challenged books, and every year I see a personal favorite make the list!
Books that address important topics of race, culture, gender, and sexuality are often the most targeted. In 2025, 92% of all book challenges were initiated by pressure groups, government officials as well as decision makers, while the overall number of challenges increased by 72% from 2024 (ALA). A challenge for a book attempts to remove or restrict access to the book in a library or school curriculum. If the challenge is successful, the book may become banned and is removed from required reading lists and library bookshelves. Whether a book is challenged, or eventually banned, the effect can limit access to the material for students, educators, authors, and the broader community.
Now more than ever, access to books matters, whether for enjoyment or for education.
Books can challenge us, teach us, help us understand experiences different from our own, and introduce new perspectives. From all the books I have read in my life (which is a lot!), the books that are banned or challenged have also taught me the most. One of my personal favorites, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, helped me navigate coming of age and isolation. Seeing it often on banned and challenged book lists makes me think about how different my life would’ve been without access to it.
So what can you do? What can I do?
Read. Read. Read. Connect. Learn. Continue reading your favorite books and maybe pick up one you have never seen or read before. You don’t have to agree with every book that is banned or challenged. But shouldn’t we get the chance to decide what we are able to read?
This week is Banned Books Week, an annual event that celebrates the freedom to read and also highlights the detriments of censorship. The 2026 theme is “Let Books Be. Protect the Freedom to Read.”
To observe Banned Books Week, K-State is hosting its annual Banned Books Week event, Monday (10/5) to Thursday (10/8), 12:30–1:30 p.m., at the Hale Library Living Room (right of 2nd floor entrance). Come read from a banned book or listen. Share your favorite banned books! Don’t worry if you don’t have a book. Reading materials will be provided if you don’t have any!
If you’re interested in learning more about banned books, visit the ALA website.
— Addelynn Maynard, Sigma Tau Delta Secretary (English Minor ’28)
