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In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, the topic of censorship and banning books has been a growing concern. With Donald Trump elected as the next president of the United States, fears of Project 2025 actually becoming a reality are at an all-time high, and this partially has to do with the topic of book banning.
The act of banning books has been around for centuries. But today, banning books consists of removing titles from libraries and schools and prohibiting them from being taught in classrooms. Unfortunately, book banning is especially rampant right now. According to a press release from Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, “Book bans nearly tripled across America between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years as state legislatures, city and county councils, and school boards implement censorship laws advanced by right-wing special interests and central to Project 2025.”
Many of the books being banned are targeted because of their LGBTQ+ storylines (which have been decried as “pornography”) or their themes about race and racism. To supporters of banned books, these books are crucial to fostering cultures of inclusion, acceptance, education, and understanding — and attempting to erase them isn’t just seen as censorship, but also as suppression.
With the threat of more and stricter book bans to come now that there is a conservative majority in all three branches of U.S. government, many are wondering what they can do to combat it. And while protesting, supporting anti-book banning orgs, and calling and writing letters to your government officials are all key to this fight, the first and easiest thing you can do is read banned books, and share them with others.
The American Library Association (ALA) runs an initiative to report bannings across the countries and creates lists of books like these to spread awareness of censorship in the United States. Here are some books that currently have bans on them but are well worth a read.
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
Starting off with the ALA’s No. 1 banned book of 2023, Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe. This book is a graphic memoir, illustrating the life of Kobabe (e/em/eir) and how e navigates adolescence and eir coming out journey. According to the ALA, the debut novel was challenged due to “LGBTQ+ content” and being sexually explicit.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas follows 16-year-old Starr Carter who witnesses her childhood friend get murdered by a police officer. This YA novel, which was later adapted to a film starring Amandla Stenberg, explores the topics of activism and injustice in America, but was challenged for “profanity, violence, and thought to promote an anti-police message.”
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Color Purple captures the lives of Black women in the 20th century rural South. Main character Celie experiences a lifetime of pain, struggle, and separation as she lives in an abusive household away from her sister and children. According to National Geographic, this book has received many challenges since its 1982 release, with reasons being sexual content, profanity, depictions of race, and accusations of anti-Christian content.
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
If you’re a lover of sci-fi and fantasy and are looking to get into banned books, Pet by Akwaeke Emezi is a good start. The novel is about the post-apocalyptic city of Lucille, where there are no more “monsters” left. But when the main character, Jam, accidentally summons the creature, Pet, from a painting, she has to reconsider the “monsters” that no one wants to uncover. It was banned for LGBTQ+ themes and discussions of child abuse.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison is a prominent author with multiple entries on the banned-book list. The most banned novel of Morrison’s is The Bluest Eye, a story about 11-year-old Black girl, Pecola, who wishes not to be Black but to have lighter skin, blonde hair, and blue eyes. In 2023, the novel ranked No. 6 by the ALA,with 62 challenges for reasons including mention of rape, incest, sexually explicit content, and “Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion” content.
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson
This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson is a book that acts as a guide for LGBTQIA+ health and education. With its use of drawings and thorough information, this book is particularly useful for LGBTQIA+ youth and those looking to be more educated on the subject. This book was banned in several areas due to sexual education, LGBTQ+ themes, and for being sexually explicit.
Sold by Patricia McCormick
This next book follows 13-year-old Lakshmi who leaves her home in Nepal and is under the impression that she would be working in the city, but in reality, Lakshmi was sold into a sex trade in India. After Sold was challenged for reasons of pornography, author Patricia McCormick wrote in a personal essay published in The New York Times, “To ban this book, which is based on interviews I conducted with girls in India and Nepal who had been sold into slavery, is to dishonor their real-life experiences and the courage it took for them to share their stories.”
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
All Boys Aren’t Blue, a memoir by George M. Johnson, explores the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys. Since its release, the memoir has been challenged for sexually explicit and LGBTQ+ content. In 2023, this book ranked No. 2 on the ALA’s list of banned books, right behind Gender Queer.
1984 by George Orwell
This next book is a commonly known novel in high school English classrooms, but did you know that it’s banned in some places? 1984 is about a dystopian government that will do anything to control its people. As this book essentially questions a fictional government, it was challenged due to these themes, and was even banned in 1981 for being “pro-Communism.”
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a teenager, Melinda, who speaks out after being sexually assaulted. Since its publication in 1999, Speak has been banned for “bias against male students, inclusion of rape, and profanity.” Anderson told First Amendment Watch, “I can’t say who these bans are aimed at, but I can say who they are affecting. They’re affecting all of our children, whether it’s books featuring characters or authors who are brown or Black, or characters or authors who are not cisgender or heterosexual.”
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
This memoir by Maya Angelou gives us a glimpse into Angelou’s life and how, despite abandonment and prejudice, she was able to persevere. However, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was banned for sexually explicit content, profanity, and “anti-white messaging.”
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Lastly, Nineteen Minutes is a banned book that touches on a subject that is still highly relevant today — school shootings. In the novel, the harsh aftermath of a school shooting is told from the perspective of Josie, the daughter of the judge who is working on the case. Despite the intense subject matter, the book was actually banned due to harsh language. “They have no problem with [the shootings],” Picoult said about the banning at an event in May 2024.” The problem is that on page 313, I use the term ‘erection’.” Picoult also denounced the uptick in book banning and said, “It’s not a badge of honor to be banned.”