The author of the most challenged book in the United States is "never going to stop telling the story" of Black and LGBTQ+ people.
George M. Johnson's novel All Boys Aren't Blue released exactly five years ago Monday. Since then, it has become the most banned book in the country, according to the American Library Association's annual “State of America’s Libraries 2024” report. To mark the anniversary, the writer posted a video to Bluesky urging marginalized communities to continue speaking their truth.
"Understanding who my ancestors were, understanding that we were people who were denied the ability to read and write, it makes this fight even more important as I move forward in it," Johnson said. "We've always been looked at as the inferior race. They have always tried to erase our stories, erase our history, steal our culture, steal all of the things that make us who we are today. But one thing that I do know is that people don't die if you continue to tell their story. And that's why I do the work that I do today."
Happy 5 year anniversary to All Boys Aren’t Blue. Now the most challenged book in America. The fight continues 💗💕💗
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— George M Johnson Garçon (@iamgmjohnson.bsky.social) April 28, 2025 at 2:54 PM
The ALA documented over 820 attempts to censor books and related LGBTQ+ services at libraries and educational facilities in 2024, which included 2,452 unique titles that were challenged or banned. The most common reasons for challenges were "false claims of illegal obscenity for minors; inclusion of LGBTQIA+ characters or themes; and dealing with topics of race, racism, inclusivity, equity, and social justice," according to the report.
Johnson said that the effort to ban books has gained traction over the past several years because conservatives "don't want the young adults of today to have empathy for one another."
"They want to have full control over our minds. When we are watching what's happening today when it comes to book banning and it comes to all of the rights that they're trying to take away, that's something that they can see physically," Johnson explained. "They can see how that physically harms us, but the problem is they can't stop our imagination. I've always stated that the imagination is where Black freedom resides because that is the one place that we can imagine a different type of future."
"Where we can imagine a world with no harm, no violence to us," they continued. "A world with no policing, where we can imagine the greatness that we are and how prominent we can be without the oppression."
