The 10 Most Banned Books in America

When Esquire first published a version of this list two years ago, book banning in the United States had reached a fever pitch. Attempted bans had surged to their highest level in the history of the American Library Association (ALA), lawmakers were advancing punitive legislation against librarians and educators, and Senator Ted Cruz was crying about racist babies in a Congressional hearing (yes, seriously). Two years later, little has changed. In a consequential election year, your right to read is on the ballot. To show you exactly what’s at stake, we’ve compiled a list of the ten most-challenged books of 2023, In a consequential election year, your right to read is on the ballot. To show you exactly what’s at stake, we’ve compiled a list of the ten most-challenged books of the year, along with the supposed rationale behind the controversies they’ve sparked. [View in Browser]( [Esquire]( [SHOP]( EXCLUSIVE [SUBSCRIBE]( [The 10 Most Banned Books in America]( [The 10 Most Banned Books in America]( When Esquire first published a version of this list two years ago, book banning in the United States had reached a fever pitch. Attempted bans had surged to their highest level in the history of the American Library Association (ALA), lawmakers were advancing punitive legislation against librarians and educators, and Senator Ted Cruz was crying about racist babies in a Congressional hearing (yes, seriously). Two years later, little has changed. In a consequential election year, your right to read is on the ballot. To show you exactly what’s at stake, we’ve compiled a list of the ten most-challenged books of 2023, In a consequential election year, your right to read is on the ballot. To show you exactly what’s at stake, we’ve compiled a list of the ten most-challenged books of the year, along with the supposed rationale behind the controversies they’ve sparked. [Read More](     [20 Crewneck Sweatshirts to Dress Up, Down, or For Every Look In-Between]( [20 Crewneck Sweatshirts to Dress Up, Down, or For Every Look In-Between]( Shop the classic style with picks from J.Crew to Champion. [Read More]( [Every ]( [Every "Bond" Film Ever, Ranked]( With Daniel Craig's run as 007 in the books, let's see how the canon stacks up. [Read More]( [How Does Austin Butler Keep Beating Me to All This Great Vintage Carhartt???]( [How Does Austin Butler Keep Beating Me to All This Great Vintage Carhartt???]( A lot of people swear by this philosophy: If you find a piece of clothing you really love, buy multiples. I suspect one of those people is Austin Butler, given the number of vintage Carhartt jackets he owns—at least two, possibly more. This week in New York, the actor stepped out in a black workwear number with a contrasting brown cord collar and gave me some serious deja vu, as I distinctly remember writing about him stepping out in New York in a black workwear number with a contrasting brown cord collar around this time last year. Upon further inspection, however, it seems I’ve managed to escape a time-loop situation for another day; this jacket is slightly different from the last one, with a brown Carhartt logo instead of a white one and slash pockets instead of patch pockets. [Read More](   [40 Dirty Santa Gifts That, Honestly, You'll Want to Keep For Yourself]( [40 Dirty Santa Gifts That, Honestly, You'll Want to Keep For Yourself]( Let the games begin. [Read More]( [JD Vance Worries Me More Than Trump]( [JD Vance Worries Me More Than Trump]( He's got his grubby little mitts in several worrying pots. [Read More](     [The Secret to Finding the Perfect White T-Shirt]( [The Secret to Finding the Perfect White T-Shirt]( I can’t tell you how many times I’ve received an email from a new brand claiming to have “perfected” the T-shirt. It’s always something like, “We tried every mainstream brand out there and just couldn’t find the fit/finish/comfort/quality we wanted, so we decided to make it ourselves!” But this is a T-shirt we’re talking about—how hard can it really be? We are living in a golden age of T-shirts. Time to find the one that’s just right for you. [Read More](   [ESQ 1933 Jewelry]( [LiveIntent Logo]( [AdChoices Logo]( Follow Us [Visit Esquire on Facebook]( [Visit Esquire on X formerly Twitter]( [Visit Esquire on Instagram]( [Visit Esquire on YouTube]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Notice]( | [CA Notice at Collection]( Esquire is a publication of Hearst Magazines. ©2024 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This email was sent by Hearst Magazines, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019-3779