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Frequently banned books: Celebrating marginalized voices
Book banning has been rising in libraries across America. We challenge you to read these books that others want to keep from you.
Publicado el 03 de mayo de 2024
Gender Queer: A Memoir
Maia KobabeThe American Library Association (ALA) keeps stats on attempts by individuals and groups to remove books from libraries and schools. Every year, the ALA lists the top 10 books targeted for banning. In 2023, when the ALA saw the highest number of attempted book bans since the organization began keeping track — 1,247 calls for censorship across 4,240 unique book titles — “Gender Queer” found itself as the top target in the culture wars, with 106 challenges. This graphic memoir explores Kobabe’s (e/em/eir) experiences discovering that e’s nonbinary and asexual. It depicts charged moments in eir life where e had to confront gender norms, including periods and sexual desire. Many opposed to the work say the images are “sexually explicit.”
All Boys Aren't Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto
George M. JohnsonA collection of heartfelt personal essays about the coming-of-age experiences of Black queer youth. Johnson’s writing captures a wide range of emotions, from the pain of being bullied to sweet moments spent with his encouraging grandmother, while touching upon important themes like identity and self-discovery. This book’s LGBTQIA+ content led to enough challenges to land it in second place on the ALA’s 2023 and 2022 list (and third on the 2021 list).
This Book Is Gay
Juno DawsonIn addition to being gay, this book is many other things: informative (it covers everything from coming out, to sexually transmitted diseases, to Grindr), approachable (Dawson is a trusted friend more than a teacher), and banned (for “providing sexual education” and “LGBTQIA+ content”).
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen ChboskyQuiet implications of deep distress and profound happiness litter this epistolary novel, penned by outsider Charlie, who makes inroads with various cliques to move past clichés. A modernized “The Catcher in the Rye” written in the 1990s, Chbosky’s book made the ALA’s most challenged list in 2023 and 2022, with complaints against it for a slew of offenses, including “depiction of sexual abuse,” “LGBTQIA+ content,” and claims that it’s “sexually explicit.” It inspired a 2012 film starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson, which brought renewed attention to the novel.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Movie Tie-in Edition)
Jesse AndrewsCancer and self-deprecation are laugh-out-loud funny in this debut novel-turned-film. Greg hates himself (and high school, of course), spends his time making amateur movies with his only friend, Earl, and is forced by his mom to rekindle a friendship with Rachel, the titular dying girl. It’s tied for the seventh most-challenged book of 2023.
Tricks
Ellen HopkinsAfter topping the list in 2021–22, YA author Hopkins continues to be one of the most banned authors in 2023. Hopkins’ novels tackle tough real-life issues facing today’s youth, like drug addiction in “Crank” and gun violence in “People Kill People.” “Tricks” addresses teen sex work, and 13 school districts banned it in the first half of the 2022–23 school year.
Sold
Patricia McCormickA young teen believes she will help alleviate her family’s poverty by working as a maid in India, but she quickly learns that she’s been sold into sexual slavery for a paltry price instead. “McCormick provides readers who live in safety and under protection of the law with a vivid window into a harsh and cruel world — one most would prefer to pretend doesn’t exist,” writes Kirkus in a 2006 review of “Sold.” The number of challenges against “Sold” (53 in 2023) proves Kirkus’ point from so many years ago.
The Nowhere Girls
Amy ReedOutcasts Grace, Rosina, and Erin become the Nowhere Girls, calling for justice for a former female classmate who was driven out of town after speaking about her experience being gang-raped by some popular boys. The book is banned in the West Ada School District in Idaho, despite high school librarian Gena Marker testifying to the school board that “The Nowhere Girls” helped students “empower themselves in the face of adversity.” She also said, “A book that negatively depicts rape culture and empowers students to stand up for themselves is one that all high school students should have access to.”
Hurricane Child
Kacen CallenderFlorida is leading the charge for book bannings in recent years, with 3,135 bans across 11 school districts in 2023 thanks to legislation prohibiting education about sexuality — and other conservative states like Kentucky have moved to follow suit. LGBTQ+ content has become a prime target, with “Hurricane Child” removed from Boyle County Schools in Kentucky. Callender’s novel follows 12-year-old Caroline, who was born during a hurricane and is convinced she has bad luck as a result (bullies and her budding queerness reinforce this self-narrative). Callender is a beloved Black, LGBTQ+ author (“King and the Dragonflies,” “Felix Ever After”).
Lawn Boy
Jonathan EvisonMike Muñoz is searching for the American Dream, but no matter how many upper-class lawns he cuts and gardens he prunes, a livable wage and fully functioning truck elude him. Evison’s novel of social stratification is immensely funny, despite being full of frustrating circumstances and thwarted dreams. The LGBTQIA+ subplot made it the second most-challenged work of 2021, and the seventh in 2022.
Out of Darkness
Ashley Hope PérezThe 1937 New London, Texas, school explosion provides the backdrop to this heart-wrenching story about love across racial lines. A Mexican American girl and a Black boy fall in love despite all the obstacles plaguing their path. Years after its initial publication in 2015, “Out of Darkness” wound up on the ALA’s most challenged list for the first time in 2021 and remained in the top 10 in 2022.
A Court of Mist and Fury
Sarah J. MaasFew authors are as popular as Maas, who writes young adult and new adult fantasies that have fervent fans singing their praises on BookTok and beyond. “A Court of Mist and Fury” is the second installment in Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses” series, which tells of the trials and tribulations of Feyre Archeron, a human who finds herself in the land of the fae. This epic fantasy romance tied for the 10th-most challenged book of 2022 for its sexual content.
Crank
Ellen HopkinsWe’re not surprised to see another Hopkins title make the banned books list. “Crank” is a raw, honest portrait (partially based on a true story) of a teen addicted to crystal meth. The story is told in verse and accused by banners of being peppered with offensive language. PEN America found “Crank” was banned in 12 schools in the first half of the 2022–2023 school year, but readers continue to love her hard-hitting works year after year.
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret AtwoodWith renewed interest in this novel, thanks to the TV series adaptation and the revocation of Roe v Wade abortion protections, Atwood’s classic found itself among the most successfully banned books in the first half of the 2022–2023 school year, according to PEN America. “The Handmaid’s Tale” is a dystopian novel about women’s rights, and it’s not lost on us that people trying to ban this book probably agree with Aunt Lydia’s ideas about “freedom to” and “freedom from.”
Milk and Honey
Rupi KaurSelf-published Indian Canadian writer and Instagram poet Kaur achieved worldwide fame when her simple and lyrical poems went viral on social media. “milk and honey” addresses the chaos and rawness that comes with the everyday bittersweet experiences of life. According to PEN America, 10 schools have banned this collection in the first half of the 2022–23 school year.
What Girls Are Made Of
Elana K. Arnold“Writing this book was like reaching into my own throat and extracting a weird gross owl pellet, a mass of hair and teeth and blood and little bones, and then picking it apart, examining what it (and I) was made of,” Arnold told Foreword Reviews about her book that examines the more unsavory parts of young womanhood. Arnold’s books frequently wind up being challenged at libraries because they shed light on topics like abuse, assault, and sexual desire as a way to “protect kids by arming them with knowledge,” Arnold told NPR.
The Carnival at Bray
Jessie Ann FoleyIt’s no surprise that a novel centering the rebellious energy of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and the wrenching reality of Kurt Cobain’s death was one of the most-challenged books at the beginning of the 2022–23 school year. After moving from Chicago to Ireland in 1993, 16-year-old Maggie is trying to find her way in the world, and she finds solace in grunge music. This award-winning, lyrical novel sets the scene perfectly, from the Irish landscapes to the teen angst.
The Hate U Give
Angie ThomasThis stunning take on the topic of race and police brutality has quickly climbed the ranks to take its place as one of the greatest YA novels of our time. It was also one of the most challenged and banned books in schools in 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021 because, as the ALA reports, “it was deemed ‘anti-cop,’ and for profanity, drug use, and sexual references.” Starr Carter will not stay silent in the face of injustice, and her message has only been amplified in the wake of George Floyd’s death.
The Upside of Unrequited
Becky AlbertalliAlbertalli’s YA books have been widely praised for their casual diversity: “The Upside of Unrequited” features interracial and LGBTQ+ families, while not centering the thrust of the novel around those identities. Instead, it focuses on 17-year-old Molly as she looks for love and self-acceptance. Nevertheless, it’s wound up in the crosshairs of the culture wars.
All American Boys
Jason ReynoldsUnsurprisingly, books dealing with racism received some of the most challenges in 2020. “All American Boys” is a story ripped from news headlines about racial profiling and police brutality; it’s been challenged “for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views.” This award-winning joint effort between authors Reynolds and Kiely is technically YA, but it’s a moving novel for all ages.
Something Happened in Our Town: A Child's Story About Racial Injustice
Marianne CelanoThis beautiful and thoughtful children’s book directly engages with the atrocities that sparked the Black Lives Matter movement and explains the importance of activism and social justice. It wound up on the most challenged list in 2020 for “‘divisive language’ and because it was thought to promote anti-police views.”
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Presents a Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo
Marlon BundoIn support of the LGBTQ+ community, comedian Oliver created this children’s book about a gay bunny. It works well as both a cutting political commentary and an adorable bedtime story. It also means that it was one of the most challenged books of 2018 and 2019 “for concerns that it is ‘designed to pollute the morals of its readers.’”
And Tango Makes Three
Justin Richardson“And Tango Makes Three,” a book explicitly designed to make conversations with children about same-sex couples and nontraditional families easier, has made the top 10 most frequently banned books list nine times since its release in 2005. It’s a cute book about two male penguins falling in love, based on a true story of the penguins Roy and Silo pairing with each other at New York’s Central Park Zoo.
The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Color Edition (Captain Underpants #1): Captain Underpants, Book 1
The Adventures of Captain Underpants: Color Edition (Captain Underpants #1): Captain Underpants, Book 1
Dav Pilkey“Captain Underpants” follows the adventures of two best friends and the titular superhero they create who comes to life. It was placed on the banned books list, in part, for encouraging a disobedience of authority. This series, however, is more about kids who aren’t afraid to CHALLENGE authority and solve problems creatively. Even if the solution involves hypnotizing your vile principal into becoming the crime fighting, tighty whitey-wearing protagonist from the original comic book series you’ve created. It was the most challenged work of 2012 and 2013, and also made an appearance on 2018’s list.
The Kite Runner
Khaled HosseiniHosseini’s moving story of betrayal and redemption in war-torn Afghanistan made the list three times in the past decade. The ALA reports it was frequently “challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to ‘lead to terrorism’ and ‘promote Islam.’” It’s also critically acclaimed, the winner of multiple awards, and perpetually timely after the U.S. spent two decades invading Afghanistan, only to withdraw and have the Taliban immediately regain control.
Big Hard Sex Criminals
Matt FractionThis Eisner Award-winning comic was among the top 10 banned books of 2016 because “it was considered sexually explicit.” Which, with a title like “Big Hard Sex Criminals,” is abundantly obvious. (For real, this comic is lewd.) Suzie and Jon discover they share the same super sexy power and use it to, among other things, rob a bank.
Make Something Up: Stories You Can't Unread
Chuck PalahniukHonestly, it’s not surprising to see Palahniuk, the author of “Fight Club,” on this list for his collection of short satirical stories. According to the ALA, it was challenged intensely in 2016 “for profanity, sexual explicitness, and being ‘disgusting and all around offensive.’”
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Mark HaddonThis critically acclaimed novel was one of the most challenged books of 2015 for “offensive language” and “profanity and atheism.” The story is narrated by 15-year-old Christopher Boone, an autistic math genius, who discovers a neighbor’s dog stabbed to death with a garden fork and starts investigating the murder. The narration is inventive, subtly funny, and opens readers’ eyes to Christopher’s rich inner world.
The Holy Bible
Richard RothschildThe Holy Bible, easily the biggest bestseller of all time, arguably the greatest story ever told, definitely the genesis of many a literary novel, was one of the most challenged books in 2015 for — wait for it — having a “religious viewpoint.” We couldn’t make this stuff up if we tried.
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic
Alison BechdelA comic memoir widely lauded for pushing the boundaries of the medium and the genre, “Fun Home” was also one of the most banned books of 2015. This is by no means a light story of fun family dysfunction: It deals with closeted homosexuality, abuse, and suicide. The “fun home” of the title refers to the funeral home run by Bechdel’s father’s family.
A Stolen Life: A Memoir
Jaycee DugardDugard was kidnapped and spent 18 years being abused by her captor. This is the true story of her time sequestered by her rapist, and the ways she learned to cope with her circumstances. It was challenged for “drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit,” and being “unsuited for age group.”
The Hunger Games
Suzanne CollinsEquipped with only a bow and a heart of gold, Katniss Everdeen caught cultural fire, igniting the rebel in us all. Collins’ phenomenon wound up on the ALA banned books list for some reasons that make sense (like violence, gruesome enough that it’s “unsuited to age group”) and others that are downright baffling (example: “anti-family,” even though Katniss’ one goal throughout the series is to protect her sister). Be a rebel, read a banned book.
Bless Me, Ultima
Rudolfo AnayaBanned Books Week overlaps with Hispanic Heritage Month in the U.S., and “Bless Me, Ultima” is a staple for both occasions. Over 50 years after its initial publication, this novel is still unique and wondrous. It follows Antonio, a young Chicano boy growing up in New Mexico, trying to figure out the past and present forces determining his path in life, when he meets Ultima, a curandera (healer with herbs and magic). It made the ALA list in 2013 (when the movie adaptation came out) for a myriad of reasons: “occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit.”
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
Alvin SchwartzBanned Books Week leads right into the spooky season, and there are very few — if any — kids’ books scarier than those in Schwartz’s series. It has been, of course, deemed too scary and violent for its age group by some. We don’t support bans on books, but we do advise using content warnings. So, CW: Very scary stories inside!
The Glass Castle: A Memoir
Jeannette WallsWith millions of copies sold and a film adaptation starring Brie Larson, reporter Walls’ memoir is a triumphant exposé on the subject she knows best: her dysfunctional family. Poignant without pulling punches, Walls’ witty storytelling turns her less-than-blissful childhood into engaging reading. It also landed her book on the ALA’s top 10 list in 2012 for challenges due to “offensive language” and for being “sexually explicit.”
ttyl - 10th Anniversary update and reissue
Lauren MyracleMyracle’s “ttyl,” written as a series of instant messages between a group of close-knit friends, wound up as the most challenged work of 2009 and 2011, with accusations of “offensive language,” having a “religious viewpoint,” and being “sexually explicit.”
The Agony of Alice
Phyllis Reynolds NaylorAn adorable story about an adolescent girl named Alice who’s very anxious about growing up and surviving the agony of sixth grade. Naylor treats both serious and silly issues of young womanhood with utmost respect. This greatly upset people in 2002, 2003, 2006, and 2011.
Brave New World
Aldous HuxleyPeople often say it can be hard to see what’s so dystopian about “Brave New World,” and that’s probably because it’s such a sharp, cutting satire of utopian literature of yore. It’s often assigned to high schoolers for class (probably why it was so often banned in 2010 and 2011), and in 2020, NBCUniversal released a TV adaptation starring Demi Moore, Harry Lloyd, Jessica Brown Findlay, and Alden Ehrenreich.
What My Mother Doesn't Know
Sonya SonesSophie’s mother doesn’t know a lot of things about what’s going on in her pubescent daughter’s mind, where thoughts about boys and what you can do with them behind closed doors, among other teenage worries, swirl. This highly relatable story told in verse is overall wholesome, yet people still protested the sexually explicit content for multiple years. As one Amazon reviewer of the title noted: “If your kids saw ‘Transformers,’ they’ve been exposed to worse.”
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
Barbara EhrenreichAn influential exposé about how hard it is to live on minimum wage from one of America’s greatest muckrakers became one of the most challenged and banned books in 2010. Complaints against it included “drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint” according to the ALA. A modern nonfiction classic and winner of multiple awards, it takes a sobering look at the impact of low wages on America’s working-class poor and dispels inaccurate, divisive myths.
My Sister's Keeper: A Novel
Jodi PicoultPicoult’s novel is one of our favorite banned books. It’s a thought-provoking read about a family faced with a situation where the lines between right and wrong are blurred. Kate has cancer, and her younger sister, Anna, was born to be a one-time donor to save Kate. That one time soon becomes two, three, four times, and gets to a point where Kate now needs a new kidney from Anna. It made the ALA’s top 10 most challenged list in 2009 for several reasons: “homosexuality, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group, violence.”
The Color Purple
Alice Walker“The Color Purple” is one of America’s greatest classics: It’s a Pulitzer Prize winner, consistently assigned as must-read material in school, and has a film and Broadway adaptation. The book tells the story of Celie, a poor Black woman in rural Georgia, and her attempt to rise above the unlucky hand she’s been dealt. In 2007 and 2009, it received a lot of challenges for being “sexually explicit” and containing “offensive language.”
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things
Carolyn MacklerMackler’s novel has a funny, catchy title, but it tackles tough topics like body image and date rape, with an ultimately hopeful message about self-confidence. Virginia feels self-conscious about being overweight and not perfect like her brother, who turns out not to be a perfect prince after all. With such heavy themes, it’s no surprise that this ended up as one of the most challenged books of 2009 for being “unsuited to age group.”
Olive's Ocean: A Newbery Honor Award Winner
Kevin HenkesMiddle school melancholy is heightened and deeply explored in Henkes’ novel. While on summer vacation at Cape Cod, Martha learns that she and her classmate, Olive, both want to be writers, but Olive died recently after being hit by a car. Learning about mortality and sexuality go hand in hand in this affecting story (challenged for “offensive language” and being “sexually explicit”).
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain“All right, then, I’ll go to hell,” young rascal Huckleberry Finn says as he decides to follow his heart and help Jim escape slavery once and for all. Mark Twain has gone down as one of the most beloved writers in American history for his crafty ways of revealing America’s moral failings and his superb attention to dialects. This one’s frequently assigned for high school English classes and often sparks conversations about racism, which landed it on the ALA list in 2007 and 2002.
Fuentes
- Top Ten Most Challenged Books Lists
- 2023, Banned and Challenged Books
- ALL YOU DO IS LOVE: ELANA K. ARNOLD & WHAT GIRLS ARE MADE OF
- 2017, Foreword Reviews
- Banned in the USA: Narrating the Crisis
- 2024, PEN America