50. 50 Banned Books

to help understand what a banned book actually is, an exciting fantasy release for myself, and a book that literally made me question everything.

This is by no means a comprehensive list of banned books. There are many, many more on the list besides the fifty I’ve listed below. I tried to find a range of genres to show how books spanning all ages and genres are being banned, as well as the reasoning behind it. I also chose some books I’ve read myself. At the end of the day, I like to think that the majority of people challenge books out of good intentions, but it is important to remember there are so many books with so many viewpoints for a reason. It is important to remember history and learn about the world. Reading is a large part of that. Also, a lot of the themes that are being challenged are reflections of the real world. I could dive into a whole discussion on that.

I share this to spread awareness and educate what a book ban actually means. If I need to, I’ll turn off the comment section. I am by no means an end all, be all for information - please do your own research.

FAQ

1. Why are books banned in the first place?

   1. Common reasonings for books being banned include racial issues, sexual content, violence, offensive language, age group (being unsuitable for an age group), religious viewpoint, LGBTQIA+, and witchcraft.

2. How do books get banned?

   1. The most common group of people who initiate challenges are parents at 50%, followed by 20% patrons, 11% administration, 9% political or religious groups, 5% librarians and teachers, 4% elected officials, and 1% by students. To officially challenge a book, you must read the entire book then fill out a form that explains why, how, and where the offense took place. The case is presented during a hearing, which decides if it should be removed, retained, or moved to a different part of the library. The majority of challenges take place at public libraries followed by schools, school libraries, and academia. (source)

3. I can still buy these books - why are they banned?

   1. A ban is specific to the location of the challenge, such as a school or public library. You can still get your hands on the book where it is not banned.

4. Are there any federally banned books?

   1. No, but the ALA (American Library Association) recorded a 4,240 unique titles challenged in 2023 alone. The number has nearly doubled from 2,571 in 2022. (source)

50 Banned Books (source)

1. Maus by Art Spiegelman

   1. Banned due to coarse language, an illustration of a partially nude woman, and concerns about age-appropriateness.

2. 1984 by George Orwell

   1. Considered one of the most frequently banned books in the US. Banned for political and social themes, pro-communist content, sexual content, and criticism of totalitarian governments.

3. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

   1. Banned for sexual explicitness, religious concerns, social commentary, and impact on young readers.

4. Charlotte’s Web by EB White

   1. Banned for talking animals and death of a character.

5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

   1. Banned for vulgarity, religious beliefs, discussions of drugs and sex, violence, and denigration of firefighters.

6. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

   1. Banned for racist language, offensive language, depressing themes, anti-business attitude, violence, and sexual situations.

7. Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West by Gregory Maguire

   1. Banned for “inappropriate alternative lifestyle instruction”, strong explicit content, and profanity.

8. Animal Farm by George Orwell

   1. Banned for communist propaganda, phrases such as “masses will revolt”, protest against totalitarianism, and beliefs about the author.

9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

   1. Banned for obscenity and vulgarity, anti-religion, anti-family, themes of negativity, distortion of students’ minds, and prevents students from understanding morality.

10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

    1. Banned for profanity and violence, anti-police message, social agenda, and racially-insensitive language.

11. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

    1. Banned for racism, offensive language, violence, and sexuality.

12. The Diary of a Young Girl: Anne Frank by Anne Frank

    1. Banned for sexual content and depressing content.

13. Looking for Alaska by John Green

    1. Banned for sexually explicit content, offensive language, and underage drinking and smoking.

14. The Giver by Lois Lowry

    1. Banned for adult themes, complex themes, unsuited to age group, and general offense.

15. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

    1. Banned for violence, government control, offensive language, insensitivity, anti-family, anti-ethnic, occult/satanic, religious perspectives, and power over readers.

16. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

    1. Banned for offensive language, sexual content, and the negative influence of the protagonist.

17. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

    1. Banned for controversial themes, language and content.

18. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    1. Banned for offensive language, sexual content, religious content, racial representation, unsuited for age group, graphic violence, LGBTQIA+ representation, depression, substance use, and attempted suicide.

19. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

    1. Banned for perception of darkness, punishment concerns, and supernatural themes.

20. Beach Music by Pat Conroy

    1. Banned for violence, sexual content, and suicidal content.

21. Midnight in the Garden by John Berendt

    1. Banned for sexual content (the challenge said it was “pornographic”).

22. They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera

    1. Banned for LGBTQ+ themes, sexual orientation and gender identity, and general obscenity.

23. The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

    1. Banned for sexual content, language, violence, alcohol and partying, and a negative portrayal of the American dream.

24. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

    1. Banned for offensive language, violence, substance abuse, and sexual content.

25. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by JK Rowling

    1. Banned for religious reasons (“satanism and anti-family themes”), witchcraft, bad behavior, dark tone, and violence.

26. How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez

    1. Banned for sexual themes and offensive language.

27. This Boy’s Life by Tobias Wolff

    1. Banned for offensive language and substance abuse.

28. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien

    1. Banned for religious reasons and being scary for children.

29. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

    1. Banned for sexual content, racism, LGBTQIA+ themes, offensive language, drug abuse, and torture.

30. Beloved by Toni Morrison

    1. Banned for mature content, historical context, critical race theory, and societal issues.

31. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

    1. Banned for language, violence, sexual content, anti-war themes, unpatriotic portrayal of war, themes of history repeating itself, and PTSD.

32. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

    1. Banned for sexual content, religious viewpoint, age-inappropriateness, and violence. (A challenge also included “poor writing”.)

33. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

    1. Banned for the portrayal of the migrant worker, language, and radial themes. A note: local California business feared the book would negatively impact tourism, and the Associated Farmers of California strongly oppose the book.

34. The Color Purple by Alice Walker

    1. Banned for sexual content, racial content, anti-christian content, violence, homosexuality, profanity, drug abuse, and torture.

35. The Other Wes Moore by Wes Moore*

    1. Challenged for discussion of drug use and alcohol as well as being “factually incorrect”.

    2. *I don’t believe this book was ever actually banned, but it was one I read in high school and I wanted to add it for visibility.

36. How the Word is Passed by Clint Smith

    1. Banned for misrepresenting American history, eraser of Black history, profanity, drug use, alcoholism, and more.

37. Fifty Shades of Grey by EL James

    1. Banned for sexual content, age group appropriateness, offensive language, religious viewpoints, and decorum.

38. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemmingway

    1. Banned for sexual content, honest treatment of war, and anti-militarism.

39. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

    1. Banned for misrepresentations of Christianity, historical and scientific inaccuracies, treatment of organizations, confusion about Christian doctrine, and sensationalized theories.

40. A Time to Kill by John Grisham

    1. Banned for violence and graphic content.

41. Skeleton Crew by Stephen King

    1. Banned for bad behavior and political agenda.

42. Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss*

    1. Challenged due to encouragement of children to use violence against their fathers.

    2. *This was challenged in Toronto. The challenger also requested the library to apologize to local fathers and pay damages. The library retained the book.

43. The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

    1. Banned for social issues, age group appropriateness, and censorship.

44. My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

    1. Banned for language and sexual content, drugs, violence, suicide, sexism and homosexuality, religious viewpoint, and age group appropriateness.

45. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey

    1. Banned for critique of mental institutions, violence, and age group appropriateness.

46. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

    1. Banned for sexual content and violence.

47. Just Listen by Sarah Dessen

    1. Banned for sexual themes and language.

48. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

    1. Banned for racist language and content.

49. Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

    1. Banned for explicit content and diverse representation.

50. Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and It’s Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson

    1. Banned for advocating disobedience, security, and cover-up.

    2. This was banned in several prison systems across the US, but New York lifted the ban in 2022 after legal pressure.

Phew. I think that all speaks for itself. What do you think about all of this?

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Note, these are affiliate links. And a very exciting release for me!!

1. The Mirror by Nora Roberts (Fantasy, Romance): November 19, 2024

2. Now or Never by Janet Evanovich (Mystery, Humorous): November 19, 2024

3. The Songbird and the Heart of Stone by Carissa Broadbent (Fantasy): November 19, 2024

   1. I FORGOT THIS WAS COMING OUT THIS WEEK. BYE.

4. Cher by Cher (Memoir): November 19, 2024

5. The Front Runner by Elsie Silver (Romance): November 19, 2024

6. The Will of the Many by James Islington (Historical Fantasy): November 19, 2024

7. Time of the Child by Niall Williams (Literary): November 19, 2024

8. The Whispering Night by Susan Dennard (Fantasy): November 19, 2024

9. Is She Really Going Out With Him? by Sophie Cousens (Rom Com): November 19, 2024

10. Water, Water by Billy Collins (Poems): November 19, 2024

Books I’ve compiled from a variety of lists such as the New York Times, Indiebound, and the B&N Top 100, but also through what I’ve seen online. I’ve decided to simply add the books I haven’t before, since I’ve caught up to the new additions. If you’re curious, last week’s post can be found here.

1. Hexed by Emily McIntire (Fairy Tales, Folklore)

2. Lost & Lassoed by Lyla Sage (Romance)

3. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Mystery)

4. Under The Oak Tree, Vol 1 by Suji Kim (Fantasy)

5. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Literary)

I’m not going to lie, the list and research above took awhile so just let me know who you’d like to hear about next week!

Just a reminder to comment any recommendations or email me: thesundayreads@gmail.com!

1. If you want to sob your little eyes out, read Pack Up The Moon by Kristan Higgins. My mom asked me why I would read a book like this when I told her what it was about. The answer to that is that this book is far more about life and living than it is about death. Huge review coming on my Instagram tomorrow! I will probably post it as a note as well.

That’s all for today. Much love

Izzy