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Banned Books Week
Censorship is still an issue in the United States. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom tracked 1269 challenges to library, school, and university materials and services in 2022. This nearly doubles the 729 book challenges reported in 2021.
Banned Books Week 2023 is October 1 - 7. Banned books are not illegal but have been censored, restricted, or removed from access in specific institutions or libraries after someone challenges a title due to its content or themes.
The following lists are books that are frequently targeted for removal or restrictions. Celebrate your freedom to read by borrowing one of these titles today!
Most Banned and Challenged Books 2022
Gender Queer: A Memoir by Call Number: HQ76.27.Y68 K63 2020Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
All Boys Aren't Blue by Call Number: HQ76.27.A37 J644 2020Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
The Bluest Eye by Call Number: PS3563.O8749 B55 2000Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
Flamer by Call Number: On OrderChallenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
Looking for Alaska by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.G8233 Lo 2005Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.C43 Per 2012Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
Lawn Boy by Call Number: PS3605.V57 L39 2019Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.A382 Ab 2007Reason: profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.
Out of Darkness by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.P4255 Ou 2019Challenged for: depictions of abuse, claimed to be sexually explicit
A Court of Mist and Fury by Call Number: PS3613.A175 C678 2020Challenged for: claimed to be sexually explicit
Crank by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.H7745 Cra 2004Challenged for: drug use, claimed to be sexually explicit
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (Revised Edition) by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.A56726 Me 2015Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
This Book Is Gay by Call Number: HQ76.26 .D39 2021Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, providing sexual education, claimed to be sexually explicit
Frequently Banned or Challenged Adult Books
The Bible by Call Number: BS185 1998.O94 1998
The Diary of a Young Girl by Call Number: D810.J4 F7154 1993
Night by Call Number: D810.J4 W514 2006
Maus I: a Survivor's Tale by Call Number: DS134.72 .S68 2011
The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Call Number: E185.97.L5 A3 1999
Nickel and Dimed by Call Number: HD4918.E375 2001
A Child Called It by Call Number: HV883.C2 P45 1995
The Glass Castle by Call Number: HV5132.W35 2005
In Cold Blood by Call Number: HV6533.K3 C3 2007
Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Call Number: LB880.F73 P4313 1993
Habibi by Call Number: GRAPHIC NOVEL THOMPSON, C. / HABIBI
Fun Home by Call Number: PN6727.B378 B43 F86 2006
Persepolis by Call Number: GRAPHIC NOVEL SATRAPI, M. / PERSEPOLIS / VOL. 1
Like Water for Chocolate by Call Number: PQ7298.15.S638 C6613 1992
The House of the Spirits by Call Number: PQ8098.1.L54 C313 2006
Romeo and Juliet by Call Number: PR2831.A1 2001
Brave New World by Call Number: PR6015.U9 B65 2006
Ulysses by Call Number: PR6019.O9 U4 1961
Nineteen Eighty-Four by Call Number: PR6029 .R8 N49 2003
Animal Farm by Call Number: PR6029.R8 A63 2003
The Fellowship of the Ring by Call Number: PR6039.O32 L6 1993
Brideshead Revisited by Call Number: PR6045.A97 B7 1945
A Clockwork Orange by Call Number: PR6052.U638 C5 1987
Waterland by Call Number: PR6069.W47 W3 1983
Fifty Shades of Grey by Call Number: PR6110.A4555 F56 2012
The Handmaid's Tale by Call Number: PR9199.3.A8 H3 1986Reason: Profanity and “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
The Satanic Verses by Call Number: PR9499.3.R8 S28 1989
As I Lay Dying by Call Number: PS3511.A86 A85 1990
The Great Gatsby by Call Number: PS3511.I9 G7 1995b
A Farewell to Arms by Call Number: PS3515.E37 F3 1957
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Call Number: PS3515.U789 T5 1998
Gone with the Wind by Call Number: PS3525.I972 G6 1964
Lolita by Call Number: PS3527.A15 L6 1992
The Catcher in the Rye by Call Number: PS3537.A426 C3 1951
The Grapes of Wrath by Call Number: PS3537.T3234 G8 2006
Of Mice and Men by Call Number: PS3537.T3234 O2 1993
Native Son by Call Number: PS3545.R815 N25 1998
Bless Me, Ultima by Call Number: PS3551.N27 B58 1999
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Call Number: PS3551.N464 Z466 2002
Go Tell It on the Mountain by Call Number: PS3552.A45 G62 1995
City of Thieves by Call Number: PS3552.E54425 C58 2008
Naked Lunch by Call Number: PS3552.U75 N3 2009
Running with Scissors by Call Number: PS3552.U745 Z477 2003
Ender's Game by Call Number: PS3553.A655 E5 1991
A Gathering of Old Men by Call Number: PS3557.A355 G3 1992
Snow Falling on Cedars by Call Number: PS3557.U846 S65 1994
Catch-22 by Call Number: PS3558.E476 C3 2011
A Prayer for Owen Meany by Call Number: PS3559.R8 P7 2002
A Separate Peace by Call Number: PS3561 .N68 S4 1975
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Call Number: PS3561.E667 O5 1996
Carrie by Call Number: PS3561.I483 C3 1974
The Namesake by Call Number: PS3562.A316 N36 2003
Beloved by Call Number: PS3563.O8749 B4 1998- The Bluest Eye by Call Number: PS3563.O8749 B55 2000Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, EDI content, claimed to be sexually explicit
Song of Solomon by Call Number: PS3563.O8749 S6
The Things They Carried by Call Number: PS3565.B75 T48 1990
Nineteen Minutes by Call Number: PS3566.I372 N56 2007
A Thousand Acres by Call Number: PS3569.M39 T47 1991
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Call Number: PS3569.T3655 A88 2008
Slaughterhouse-Five by Call Number: PS3572.O5 S6 1994
The Color Purple by Call Number: PS3573.A425 C6 1992
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Call Number: PS3606.O38 E97 2005
The Lovely Bones by Call Number: PS3619.E26 L68 2002
Robopocalypse by Call Number: PS3623.I57796 R63 2011
Siddhartha by Call Number: PT2617.E85 S513 2000b
The Disappearing Spoon by Call Number: QD466.K37 2010
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Call Number: RC265.6.L24 S55 2010
Frequently Challenged Children's and Young Adult Books
Drama by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.7.T45 Dr 2012Reason: includes LGBT characters and was considered “confusing.”
The Slave Dancer by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.F838 Sl
Olive's Ocean by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.H389 Ol 2003
Bridge to Terabithia by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.P273 Br 1977
The Higher Power of Lucky by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.P27565 Hig 2006
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by Call Number: CHAPTER PZ7.R79835 Hao 1998Reason: referring to magic and witchcraft, containing actual curses and spells, and characters that use “nefarious means” to attain goals
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Call Number: JUV E184.A1 R49 2020Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
It's Perfectly Normal by Call Number: JUV HQ53.H37 1994
Beyond Magenta by Call Number: JUV HQ77.9.K85 2014Reasons: challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, for “its effect on any young people who would read it,” and for concerns that it was sexually explicit and biased
My Princess Boy by Call Number: JUV HQ1075.K535 2011
Nasreen's Secret School by Call Number: JUV LC2410.A3 W56 2009
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.1.B863 Day 2018Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and not including a content warning
Something Happened in Our Town by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.1.C4647 Som 2018Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
King and King by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.H11132 Ki 2002
In Our Mothers' House by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.P75186 Mv 2009
In the Night Kitchen by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.S47 In 1995
Skippyjon Jones Series by Call Number: PICTURE PZ7.S3286 Se 2003Reason: challenged for depicting stereotypes of Mexican culture
Hop on Pop by Call Number: PICTURE PZ8.3.G276 Hn 1991
This Day in June by Call Number: PICTURE PZ8.3.P5586836 Th 2014
And Tango Makes Three by Call Number: PICTURE PZ10.3.R414 Tan 2005Reason: it features a same-sex relationship.
This One Summer by Call Number: GRAPHIC NOVEL TAMAKI, M. / THIS ONEReasons: banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and certain illustrations
To Kill a Mockingbird by Call Number: PS3562.E353 T6 2002Reason: violence and its use of the N-word.
The Kite Runner by Call Number: PS3608.O832 K58 2003Reason: includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”- The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.A382 Ab 2007Reason: profanity and situations that were deemed sexually explicit.
Speak by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.A54385 Sp 1999
Feed by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.A54395 Fe 2002
I Am J by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.B362 Iaj 2011
Forever by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.B6265 Fo 1999x- The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.C43 Per 2012Challenged for: depiction of sexual abuse, LGBTQIA+ content, drug use, profanity, claimed to be sexually explicit
Whale Talk by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.C89 Wh 2001
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.C6837 Hun 2008
The Chocolate War by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.C81634 Ch
The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.D2136 Mi 2012
Little Brother by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.D66237 Lit 2008
Go Ask Alice by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.G534 2006
An Abundance of Katherines by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.G8233 Abu 2006- Looking for Alaska by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.G8233 Lo 2005Challenged for: LGBTQIA+ content, claimed to be sexually explicit
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.H1165 Cu 2003
The Outsiders by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.H5976 Ou 1982
Glass by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.H7745 Gla 2009
Totally Joe by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.H83727 To 2005
Boy Meets Boy by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.L5798 Bo 2003
Two Boys Kissing by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.L5798 Two 2013Reason: challenged and burned for including LGBTQIA+ content
Fallen Angels by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.M992 Fal 1988
Twilight Series by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.M5717515 Tw 2005
The Golden Compass by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.P968 Go 1996
All American Boys by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.R33593 Al 2015
The Hate U Give by Call Number: YOUNG ADULT PZ7.1.T448 Hat 2017Reason: it was considered “pervasively vulgar” and because of drug use, profanity, and offensive language.
