It's not your imagination, and it's not fearmongering: Books, and our free and ready access to them, are under attack in the U.S.

The American Library Association has the data to prove it. 

 The library association on Monday released its list of the 13 most challenged books of 2022, the titles that have been the biggest targets of banning efforts in schools and public libraries. The last few years have seen a dramatic uptick in book-banning attempts, an escalation of censorship tactics, and the coordinated harassment of teachers and librarians as political groups and parent associations target works of literature containing what they deem to be objectionable material for young readers.

 For more information on book-banning attempts and how to fight against them, visit ala.org. 

 For the second year running, Maia Kobabe's autobiographical graphic novel "Gender Queer," about the author's gender journey and eventual coming out as nonbinary, was the No. 1 title on the American Library Association's banned books list.