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Banned Books That Everyone Should Read
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items I hate censorship and in the spirit of fighting back against our current political climate, I have made a list of banned books that everyone should take the time to read. Primarily led by conservative groups, these books have been banned in libraries...
“The Handmaid's Tale" shows the dystopian near-future of a patriarchal, totalitarian, theocratic society. The book, originally published in 1985, is now a successful television series. It is still controversial, and was removed from classroom and lib...
The Handmaid's Tale|Paperback
Perhaps the quintessential coming-of-age story, Holden Caufield’s journey of self discovery is equal parts hilarious and touching. It’s a story of growing pains, of transitioning out of childhood, and, in true Peter Pan fashion, of a certain refusal ...
The Catcher in the Rye|Paperback
This suspense novel, published in 1978, is about teenagers kidnapping and murdering their strict teacher. These themes caused the book to go through five bans over the course of the previous school years.
Killing Mr. Griffin|Paperback
The nonfiction book by Ibram X. Kendi helped popularize the term "antiracist" when came out in 2019. It was on school ban lists five times over the previous school year.
It's part memoir and part social commentary on racism and ethnicity.
How to Be an Antiracist|Paperback
"The Truth About Alice" discusses slut-shaming among teenagers. The work was part of six book bans in the previous school year.
The book was released in 2014.
The Truth About Alice: A Novel|Paperback
Two teenagers — one White and transgender, the other a Black high-school student named Richard with a tragic past — ride the same bus home each day.
Due to frank discussions about gender identity, the criminal justice system, and race-based content...
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives|Hardcover
"A Court of Mist and Fury" is the second in Sarah J. Maas' "A Court of Thorns and Roses" fantasy series. Due to its sexual content, the book found itself subject to seven book bans over the past school year.
It's also notable for being one of the b...
A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series #2)|Paperback
A Black teenage girl goes missing — and her disappearance is never investigated. The book is based on real-life missing Black girls who fail to receive attention from media or police.
Due to its intense discussions about racism, justice and poverty,...
Monday's Not Coming|Paperback
A Black high school student who suffers a dangerous encounter with white police officers writes to the late Martin Luther King, Jr., asking him what he would do.
Stone stated she began writing the 2017 book as a response to the deaths of Jordan Dav...
Dear Martin|Paperback
Jonathan Safran Foer's 2005 book, which was turned into a major film in 2012, is one of the most influential of the 21st century, but that hasn't stopped it from getting banned frequently from school libraries — including in seven instances in the pa...
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close|Paperback
“The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was first published in 1999. The book was considered somewhat controversial for how it portrayed sexuality, drug use, and suicidal content. It was part of book bans eight times during the 2021-2022 school year.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower|Paperback
Ellen Hopkins is known for her gritty, realistic fiction, and her book "Tricks" is no different. It follows the paths of five teenagers and deals with drug usage and sexually explicit content.
The book was published in 2009, and has regularly shown ...
Tricks|Paperback
Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely were sharing a hotel room when they heard that George Zimmerman had been acquitted for the murder of Trayvon Martin. They shared their frustrations and eventually decided to write a book together.
That book talks abo...
All American Boys|Paperback
Picoult's 2007 novel "Nineteen Minutes" tells the unfolding tale of a school shooting.
The graphic depictions of the shootings have made the book controversial, and there were nine instances of it being pulled from classroom or school library books...
Nineteen Minutes|Paperback
The story is about two boys growing up in Afghanistan against the backdrop of the Soviet invasion, the exodus of refugees to Pakistan, and the rise of the Taliban.
It is a controversial novel in Afghanistan, but is also the subject of many book cha...
The Kite Runner (10th Anniversary Edition)|Paperback
A teenager develops a crystal meth addiction. The story was loosely based on Hopkins' own daughter, who also developed an addiction to crystal meth.
Because of the portrayal of addiction, drug usage, and sexual content, it was put on school ban list...
Crank (Crank Series #1)|Paperback
A girl named Hannah leaves behind seven cassette tapes detailing why 13 specific people and events caused her death suicide. The story was inspired by a suicide attempt made by one of Asher's relatives.
The book was published in 2007, but gained new...
Thirteen Reasons Why|Paperback
“The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas, seen here in 2019 at the Massachusetts Conference for Women, was released in 2017, and deals with the aftereffects of a Black girl who attends a predominantly white, elite private school.
Due to the race-based them...
The Hate U Give (Printz Honor Winner)|Paperback
Anthony Burgess’ influential dystopian satire depicts a world where teen protagonist Alex creates mayhem before undergoing aversion therapy to curb his violent tendencies. Publisher W.W. Norton calls it “a frightening fable about good and evil and th...
A Clockwork Orange|Paperback
Subject to 17 different book bans, the bestselling reimagined prequel to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz launched one of the highest grossing Broadway musicals of all time and a two-part movie sensation.
Wicked: Volume One in the Wicked Years|Paperback
Bianca discovers that a boy has given her a devastating nickname – the DUFF, or Designated Ugly Fat Friend – and finds herself in an enemies-with-benefits relationship. Subject to 16 different book bans.
The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend|Paperback
This National Book Award-winning novel is set in 1954, at the height of the Red Scare, when 17-year-old Lily Hu visits a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club. This book has been subject to 19 book bans.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club (National Book Award Winner)|Paperback
McCormick tells the story of Lakshmi, a 13-year-old girl in Nepal who is sold into prostitution. “The powerful, poignant, bestselling National Book Award Finalist gives voice to a young girl robbed of her childhood yet determined to find the strength...
Sold|Paperback
Subject to 20 book bans, In this coming-of-age love story, Claudine Henry is coping with her parents’ divorce and getting ready for college when she meets a local trail guide with a mysterious past.
Breathless|Paperback