Hello,
Dictionary.com’s entry for the verb form of “ban” reads: “to prohibit, forbid, or bar; interdict. to ban nuclear weapons.” Illustrative uses include: “The dictator banned all newspapers and books that criticized his regime.”
And here’s the definition of “ban” as a noun: “the act of prohibiting by law; interdiction.”
Now, here are some recent headlines:
“Book bans and attempted bans remain at record highs, with ‘Sold’ topping the list” (the Washington Post); “Book bans mired at record high” (The Hill); Book Bans in U.S. Hit Record Levels (Daily Beast); “Book bans hit 4,235 titles in 2025 as group warns censorship is near record highs” (KOMO). A lot of these—and many more—draw from the AP coverage of the Monday release of the American Library Association’s annual roster of “Banned and Challenged Books.”
A few articles approach the ALA’s methods and definitions with more nuance. A banned book is a work that is removed from a library. A book has been “challenged” if someone or some group merely lodged a complaint about it. The nature of the complaints varies. Some challenges revolve around whether the work is age-appropriate and should therefore require parental consent or only be accessible upon request. Others demand outright removal from the library’s collection. The ALA does not offer a particularly clear breakdown of these distinctions.
Still, to be explicit from the outset: I believe some of these challenges are silly, overwrought, or rooted in prejudice. If I were a librarian, I’d be furious if I were told A Clockwork Orange should be withdrawn because certain activists find it repulsive.
But let’s examine the most challenged book of 2025, Sold by Patricia McCormick. I haven’t read it, but from the reviews and the Amazon listing it appears to be a solid, though unsettling, read. It has earned awards and appears on numerous “best of” lists. What’s it about? A 13-year-old girl who is sold into prostitution. Publisher’s Weekly describes it as “hard-hitting” and notes that “the author gracefully balances the harshness of brothel life with the touching relationships among its residents.” In a starred review, Booklist calls it “An unforgettable account of sexual slavery as it exists now.” It was a National Book Award finalist. (That is what the Amazon page indicates, at least.)
It has also sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide and is available at thousands of libraries and virtually every bookseller in the United States. First published two decades ago, it currently ranks as the No. 1 bestseller in Amazon’s category of “Teen & Young Adult Fiction on Sexual Abuse.” And, as often happens, claims of a book being “banned” tend to drive sales upward.
But, let’s be clear. Sold hasn’t been banned anywhere in the United States. In fact, the Supreme Court effectively curtailed book banning more than fifty years ago. The last serious push to ban a broad category of books—those designed to influence elections—originated with the Obama administration, which contended in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission that the government could prohibit the publication of books (and other media, such as documentaries) that might affect voter decisions near elections.
