5 Banned Books to Celebrate Indigenous People’s Day

For me, literature is one of the most valuable and important ways to learn about the unique experiences of different groups and people across the globe. Right now, we are living in a cultural moment where this freedom to explore and learn through literature is under attack. Books, especially those that center marginalized voices, are being banned in public schools across the country. As today is the second Monday of October, Indigenous People’s Day, I wanted to honor and celebrate Indigenous authors. Particularly, I wanted to highlight five books by Indigenous authors on the banned book list.

1. Fry Bread by Kevin Noble Maillard

Fry Bread is a children’s book that explores family and tradition through the making of a cultural dish. This book was banned because the organization that donated it was accused of being Marxist and promoting critical race theory.

2. A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

A Snake Falls to Earth is a young adult novel that follows Nina, a Lipan Apache girl, and Oli, a cottonmouth kid who live in the land of spirits and monsters as their worlds collide. This book was banned for being associated with the LGBTQ+ agenda and for its “confusing” view of human sexuality.

3. We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

This gorgeously illustrated picture book follows a young Ojibwe girl who works to protect the water supply of her people by fighting against an oil pipeline. This book was accused of being socialist, racist, and divisive.

4. Kapaemahu by Dean Hamer

Kapaemahu is the story of the māhū, individuals of dual female and male spirit, as they sail from Tahiti to Hawaii to share their gifts with the people of Waikiki. This children’s book was banned for “pornographic content” and transgender topics.

5. Indian No More by Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell

This work of historical fiction follows ten-year-old Regina Petit after her Umpqua tribe is legally terminated and forced to leave Oregon. In Los Angeles she grapples with her identity as an Native American far from the tribal lands she grew up in. Indian No More was banned after parents expressed concerns that it would make white children feel guilty.