Overview:
We Need Diverse Books has launched the Unbanned Book Network to counter rising book bans by providing challenged titles and author support to under-resourced schools.
In response to the nationwide surge in book bans, a grassroots organization dedicated to increasing diversity in publishing is launching a program to counteract censorship in schools and libraries.
This week, We Need Diverse Books, or WNDB, announced the creation of the Unbanned Book Network, focused on donating books by authors who have been banned and select Author Ambassadors for school districts facing bans. WNDB plans to start with 20 “under-resourced” schools in states where bans are most prevalent, including Texas and Florida.
Since 2021, ALA has tracked a sharp spike in censorship attempts in libraries. In 2024, ALA recorded the third highest number of book challenges since tracking began in 1990: ALA documented 821 attempts to censor library books and other materials in 2024 across all library types, a decrease from 2023, when a record high 1,247 attempts were reported. ALA recorded attempts to remove 2,452 unique titles in 2024, which significantly exceeds the average of 273 unique titles that were challenged annually during 2001–2020.
“We’re not only facing an ongoing literacy crisis in the U.S., we’re also battling increased rates of censorship, which is infringing on our students’ right to read,” WNDB’s CEO, Dhonielle Clayton, said in a statement. “WNDB will tackle these issues head-on with the launch of the Unbanned Book Network, demonstrating the power of diverse literature to transform young lives and our communities.”
Several widely acclaimed young adult and literary titles—All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Tricks and Crank by Ellen Hopkins, Looking for Alaska by John Green, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews, Sold by Patricia McCormick, and Flamer by Mike Curato—have been among the most frequently challenged books nationwide, primarily due to LGBTQIA+ content, depictions of sexual assault, drug use, profanity, and claims of sexual explicitness.
