Hundreds of books are withdrawn or questioned in US libraries and schools. uu. every year. classic and contemporary books have been criticized over the years for having “difficult” topics or expressing unpopular points of view.
Here is a list of frequently questioned and banned books and the reasons why they have been banned from the shelves of certain schools and libraries. Hop on the forbidden bandwagon and challenge yourself instead of the books!
You are reading: Banned books list and why they were banned
1. all american boys by jason reynolds and brendan kiely
In this new york times bestselling novel, two teenagers, one black and one white, grapple with the aftermath of a single act of violence that wipes out their school, their community, and ultimately their lives. instance, with the country. bitterly divided by racial tension.
all american boys was the third most challenged book in 2020 due to alcoholism, drugs and profanity. and due to claims of views contrary to the police and that it was too sensitive a subject for the current time.
2. are you there god? it’s me daisy by judy blume
margaret simon likes long hair, tuna fish, the smell of rain and pink things. she just moved from new york city to farbook, new jersey, and she’s anxious to fit in with her new friends. when they form a secret club to discuss private topics like boys, bras and having their first periods, margaret is happy to belong. but none of them can believe that margaret has no religion, and that she doesn’t go to and or to the jewish community center. What they don’t know is that Margaret has her own very special relationship with God. She can talk to God about everything: family, friends, even Moose Freed, her secret crush.
This book was frequently questioned in the 1980s due to the fact that the book was open about sex and was believed to have an anti-Christian message.
3. the perks of being an outcast by stephen chbosky
Stephen Chbosky’s critically acclaimed debut novel follows observant “wallflower” Charlie as he charts a course through the strange world between adolescence and adulthood. first dates, family drama and new friends. sex, drugs and the rocky horror picture show. devastating loss, young love and life on the sidelines. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it, Charlie must learn to navigate those wild and heartwarming roller-coaster days known as growing up.
This book often appears on the wing list of most frequently questioned books because it openly deals with topics such as: sex, drugs, homosexuality, and suicide.
4. wake of lisa mcmann
For seventeen-year-old janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. especially falling dreams, naked dreams but no one notices, and sex-crazed dreams. she can’t tell anyone what she does; they would never believe her, or worse yet, they would think that she is a freak. she then falls into a terrifying nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. she is a participant….
wake was challenged at a high school in oklahoma because a parent was concerned about the use of “adult language” and believed the book was promoting drug use and sexual misconduct.
5. wicked by pete hautman
Fed up with the boring old religion of his parents, Jason Bock, an agnostic turned atheist, invents a new god: the city’s water tower. He recruits an unlikely group of adorers: his best friend Shin, a snail farmer, Magda Price, who is cute as a button (whatever that means), and the violent and unpredictable Henry Stagg. . as his religion grows, he takes on a life of his own. Jason soon realizes that inventing a religion is much easier than controlling it, but he must control it before creating it destroys both his friends and himself.
godless was removed from a mississippi high school summer reading list because parents were concerned about the book’s “anti-religious” themes.
6. james howe’s misfits
After years of coping, Skeezie, Addie, Joe and Bobby decide to run for student council. now they finally have a chance to stand up and be seen, not as the one-word jokes their classmates have tried to reduce them to, but as the whole, complicated human beings they’re just beginning to discover who they really are.
A parent complained that the book had a gay character and the school system refused to discuss it.
7. forever… by judy blume
katherine and michael are in love, and katherine knows it’s forever, especially after losing her virginity to him. but when they break up over the summer, she begins to have feelings for another boy. What does this say about her love for michael? And what does “forever” mean, anyway? Is this the love of a lifetime, or the beginning of a lifetime of love?
This book was frequently questioned because it addressed topics that were not often addressed, such as masturbation, birth control, and teen sex.
8. fit by nic sheff
See Also: Dale Brown – Book Series In Order
This New York Times bestselling memoir about a young man’s addiction to methamphetamine tells a raw, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful story of the road from relapse to recovery.
tweak was removed from a summer reading list at a new jersey high school after some parents complained of instances of sexual content.
9. give a kid a gun by todd strasser
For as long as they can remember, Brendan and Gary have been mercilessly molested and harassed by the jocks who rule downtown. but not anymore. stealing a small arsenal of weapons from a neighbor, they take their classmates hostage at a school dance. In the panic of this desperate situation, it soon becomes clear that only one thing matters to Bendan and Gary: revenge.
This book was questioned due to concerns from a student’s aunt about the book’s depiction of school violence.
10. ellen hopkins crank
kristina snow is the perfect daughter: talented high school student, easy going, no problem. So, Kristina meets the monster: she cranks. And what begins as a wild and ecstatic ride turns into a fight through hell for her mind, her soul, her life.
This book received many complaints because it contains “drugs, offensive language and sexually explicit” content, as it is about a teenager addicted to methamphetamine.
11. alice series by phyllis reynolds naylor
Life, Alice Mckinley feels, is just one big shame. here she is, about to be a teenager and she doesn’t know how. she thinks it’s worse for her than anyone else, because she doesn’t have a role model. her mother has been dead for years. Her help and advice can only come from her father, a music store manager, and her nineteen-year-old brother, who is a bum. what do they know about being a teenage girl? she what she needs, alice decides, she is a beautiful woman who does everything right, like a roadmap, so to speak. when her sixth grade teacher, mrs. Plotkin assigns each class member the task of keeping a journal of her thoughts and feelings. Alice calls hers “Alice’s Agony,” and in it she records all the embarrassing things that happen to her.
The books feature “highly questionable pages,” according to a Missouri high school principal.
12. totally joe by james howe
Assigned to write his alphabiography, a chronicle of his life with chapter headings A to Z, seventh grader Joe Bunch is unsure at first. What if she tells the truth and someone besides her teacher reads it? But as Joe’s chapters go from “a” for his best friend Addie to “f” for family to “t” for turning thirteen or older, he discovers that her entrances become increasingly more honest and thoughtful. He writes about her crush on Colin Briggs, about being gay, and about a world where acceptance and ridicule can be confusingly intertwined.
Parents in Utah found the book objectionable because the 13-year-old protagonist grapples with the challenges of being a gay teenager.
13. shooting star by fredrick mckissack jr.
A born athlete, Jomo Rogers has a talent that’s easy to spot on the football field, and college reporters and recruiters are taking notice. but the rumor is focused on his potential, on his promise, while jomo is ready to become the “next big thing” now. And since natural talent can only take a player so far, Jomo supplements his skills with harder training, more weights, longer runs…and steroids.
The father of a high school student was concerned about various swearing.
14. one of those horrible books where sonya sones mother dies
When Ruby’s mother dies, she is dragged three thousand miles away from her beautiful boyfriend, Ray, to live in Los Angeles with her father, whom she has only seen in movies. he’s a mega-famous actor who divorced her mom even before she ruby was born, and while the rest of the world may love him, she definitely doesn’t.
A Wisconsin high school banned it because it was inappropriate for age, though it won several awards and was named the best young adult book of 2005 by the American Library Association.
15. relax by neal shusterman
in the united states after the second civil war, the armies in favor of the right to decide and in favor of life reached an agreement: the bill of life establishes that human life cannot be touched from the moment from conception until the child reaches the age of thirteen. however, between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, a parent may choose to retroactively dispose of a child through a process called “disengagement.” relaxation ensures that the child’s life does not “technically” end by transplanting all of the child’s body organs into various recipients. Now that it’s a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens can easily relax.
Parents of a Kentucky high school student complained about the books’ language and themes, including sex, child abuse, suicide, and drug abuse. they also didn’t think the books were intellectually challenging enough. The titles are on a list made by the Young Adult Library Services Association for “reluctant readers.”
16. go ask alice anonymously
See Also: The Best George Eliot Books – Five Books Expert Recommendations
For thirty-five years, the acclaimed, best-selling first-person account of a teenage girl’s harrowing descent into the nightmarish world of drugs has left an indelible mark on generations of teenage readers. As powerful, and as timely, today as ever, go ask alice remains the definitive book on the horrors of addiction.
Many people complained about the explicit references to drugs and sex, which made it controversial since it was first published.
17. america by e.r. frank
america is confused with black, asian, native american, even white. he doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere and, without parents, is sent for eighteen years from foster care to the streets and ultimately to the brink of despair. Can a doctor bring it back and take America to a new place, a place with a future?
This book was challenged in schools in Ravenna, Ohio (2007) because “what we kept finding and reviewing was sexual content and profanity,” the whistleblower said.
18. romiette and july by sharon m. draper
When Romiette Cappelle meets Julio Montague, she feels like she’s met the soulmate who can rescue her from her recurring nightmare of fire and water. But like the Shakespearean characters whose names echo their own, Romiette and Julio discover that not everyone approves of their budding romance. In her case, it’s because Romiette is African-American and Julio is Hispanic, and the Devildogs, a dangerous local gang, are violently opposed to their interracial relationship.
parents in virginia deemed it inappropriate for fifth graders with its sexual innuendos and fictional online chat room. so the book was changed to the second semester sixth grade curriculum.
19. aristotle and dante discover the secrets of the universe by benjamin alire sáenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.
this book is in rep. The list of 850 works by Matt Krause that contain content that “could cause students to feel discomfort, guilt, distress, or any other form of psychological distress due to their race or gender.” it has also been banned elsewhere for having a queer romance and mentions of drugs and sex.
See Also: Read. Binge. Repeat
20. the red scrolls of magic by cassandra clare
This Shadowhunters books follows fan-favorite characters Magnus Bane and Alec Lightwood on a romantic vacation in Europe, which is rudely interrupted by demons.
The Red Scrolls of Magic is included on Governor Greg Abbott’s list of books deemed inappropriate for Texas students. was reported by parents in a school district because it “contains 1 or more of the following: Marxism, incest, sexually explicit material, in written form and/or visual images, pornography, crt, immoral activities, rebellion against parents.”
See Also: Read. Binge. Repeat
21. we are the ants by shaun david hutchinson
Henry Denton has spent years being periodically abducted by aliens. Then the aliens give him an ultimatum: The world will end in 144 days, and all Henry has to do to stop it is push a big red button. Only he isn’t sure he wants to.
This fantasy book is on Governor Greg Abbott’s list of books deemed inappropriate for students in Texas and has been called out by parents for explicit content.
See Also: Read. Binge. Repeat
22. the last one out of amber smith
This book is on Rep. Matt Krause’s list of 850 works that contain content that “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.”
See Also: Read. Binge. Repeat
23. christina lauren autoboyography
This book is on Rep. Matt Krause’s list of 850 works that contain content that “might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.”
See Also: Read. Binge. Repeat