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Readers Loved This Best-Selling Novel-Now It's Among 2025's Most Banned Books

By Devon Forward Parade - Trending Stories

Updated April 22, 2026 11:13 PM

A beloved coming-of-age novel that has resonated with readers for decades is unexpectedly on a new list reporting the most challenged and banned books of 2025.

According to a newly released report from the American Library Association (ALA), The Perks of Being a Wallflower by best-selling author Stephen Chbosky has been named one of the most frequently challenged books of 2025-landing at No. 2 on the organization's annual list.

The ranking comes as part of the ALA's yearly roundup of the titles most often targeted for removal or restriction in schools and libraries across the United States. This year's report highlights the continued surge in challenges, with both predictable and unexpected books on the list.

Originally published in 1999, The Perks of Being a Wallflower became a breakout hit thanks to its raw portrayal of teenage life. Told through a series of letters written by the introverted protagonist Charlie, the novel explores themes of mental health, identity, friendship, and trauma. These topics have helped readers connect with the novel for many years, and it has since become a beloved classic.

According to the ALA, most of the requests for bans are from organized movements, including "pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers," as the association described.

As for the reason behind the censoring of the books, the ALA shared that the most common reasons given are "false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and covering topics of race, racism, equity, and social justice."

The ALA used the list to condemn the continual censorship of books and highlight the First Amendment right to read and access information.

While The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a very loved novel, it's not a huge surprise that it ranks so high on the list, as many people who try to censor reading target books about LGBTQ+ topics and difficult subjects like abuse and trauma, which are all explored in Chbosky's book. But it is a little unexpected that the book ranked so high, as there are many classic novels that have faced censorship for much longer.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower reportedly had 33 total challenges in 2025, with the only book that had more in the United States being the novel Sold by Patricia McCormick, which tells the story of a 13-year-old Nepalese girl named Lakshmi who is tricked and sold into sexual slavery in India by her stepfather.

This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 10:01 PM.