Number of challenged books drops

Since the start of Banned Books Week in the early 1980's the number of books challenged for removal from libraries has dropped.
The ALA defines a challenge against a title as a "formal, written complaint filed with a library or school requesting that materials be removed because of content or appropriateness."

According to an article from Ohio's Beacon Journal:
"The number of works actually pulled has also decreased over the past quarter century, from more than 200 in 1982, to at least 44 last year, including Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye, the Nobel laureate's debut novel."

Banned Books Week kicks off this Saturday, with libraries, booksellers, and the publishing industry highlighting titles that have been removed or faced removal.