Banned Books Week is September 27 – October 3, 2015!
Do you read comics? How about romances? Historical fiction? Nonfiction? Chances are, you’ve read a book that’s been banned! Writers of every race, religion, and gender identity have had their books, comics, short stories and more banned because their ideas were deemed too dangerous for the public. Books are being banned from libraries in the United States and abroad every year. In 2014, 311 books were challenged in libraries across the country for being sexually explicit, violent, pushing the ‘homosexual agenda’ or for being ‘anti-family.’ Find out more about which of your favorite books or comics were banned or challenged in the last year. Get involved! Read dangerously!
Do you read comics? How about romances? Historical fiction? Nonfiction? Chances are, you’ve read a book that’s been banned! Writers of every race, religion, and gender identity have had their books, comics, short stories and more banned because their ideas were deemed too dangerous for the public. Books are being banned from libraries in the United States and abroad every year. In 2014, 311 books were challenged in libraries across the country for being sexually explicit, violent, pushing the ‘homosexual agenda’ or for being ‘anti-family.’ Find out more about which of your favorite books or comics were banned or challenged in the last year. Get involved! Read dangerously!
Find banned books in our catalog! Select ‘Subject’ from the drop down menu and search for ‘banned books’. Our list keeps growing every day, so check back often!
Read dangerously! Join the Virtual Read-out! Take a look at the Virtual Read-out YouTube channel, featuring celebrities reading from their favorite banned book. Want to join in? Take a video of yourself reading aloud from a banned book and submit it online!
The list below represents just a small selection of books, ranging from paranormal vampire romances to innocuous pre-school books, that were banned or challenged in 2014 and 2015. Many of these titles were later reinstated at the schools or libraries where they were challenged, and various policies were updated to handle such concerns.
You can search the UML catalog for more banned books simply by doing a subject search for "banned books."
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Challenged in North Carolina for containing "numerous depictions of sexual behavior, as well as instances of racism, vulgar language, bullying, and violence."
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth
Removed from a reading list in Delaware for "language deemed inappropriate for entering high school freshmen."
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Removed from a reading list in Florida because it "promoted hacker culture."
Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss
Challenged in Toronto, Canada, because it "encourages children to use violence against their fathers."
If I Ran The Zoo, Dr. Seuss
Challenged in Vancouver, Canada due to a line in the poem and illustrations that are racial stereotypes of Asians.
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Removed from shelves in California because "the subject matter involves teen dying of cancer who use crude language and have sex."
Paper Towns, John Green
Removed from a reading list in Florida because a parent complained that the book contained "F-bombs, several discussions about teen sex, and references to girls as honey bunnies."
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
Banned from a reading list in Tennesee due to offensive language.
It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health, Robie H. Harris
Challenged in Montana for cartoon nudity.
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Removed from a reading list in Texas due because "the main character fathers a child out of wedlock and has sexual encounters with prostitutes."
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Challenged in Wisconsin because it "desensitizes students to violence."
Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan
Challenged in Virginia because of homosexual themes.
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
Challenged in Texas because of "occultic and demonic" themes.
You can search the UML catalog for more banned books simply by doing a subject search for "banned books."
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie
Challenged in North Carolina for containing "numerous depictions of sexual behavior, as well as instances of racism, vulgar language, bullying, and violence."
The Miseducation of Cameron Post, Emily M. Danforth
Removed from a reading list in Delaware for "language deemed inappropriate for entering high school freshmen."
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
Removed from a reading list in Florida because it "promoted hacker culture."
Hop on Pop, Dr. Seuss
Challenged in Toronto, Canada, because it "encourages children to use violence against their fathers."
If I Ran The Zoo, Dr. Seuss
Challenged in Vancouver, Canada due to a line in the poem and illustrations that are racial stereotypes of Asians.
The Fault in Our Stars, John Green
Removed from shelves in California because "the subject matter involves teen dying of cancer who use crude language and have sex."
Paper Towns, John Green
Removed from a reading list in Florida because a parent complained that the book contained "F-bombs, several discussions about teen sex, and references to girls as honey bunnies."
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon
Banned from a reading list in Tennesee due to offensive language.
It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex & Sexual Health, Robie H. Harris
Challenged in Montana for cartoon nudity.
Siddhartha, Herman Hesse
Removed from a reading list in Texas due because "the main character fathers a child out of wedlock and has sexual encounters with prostitutes."
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini
Challenged in Wisconsin because it "desensitizes students to violence."
Two Boys Kissing, David Levithan
Challenged in Virginia because of homosexual themes.
Twilight, Stephenie Meyer
Challenged in Texas because of "occultic and demonic" themes.
More than just your average cape wearing superhero comics, various comic books and graphic novels have been challenged as well. You can find many of these in the Graphic Novels section of the Richter Library.
Blankets, Craig Thompson
Challenged in Missouri for having ‘obscene images’.
Fun Home, Alison Bechdel
Challenged in Missouri and South Carolina for having ‘obscene images’.
Maus, Art Spiegelman
Challenged in California for being ‘Anti-ethnic and unsuited for age group’.
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
Challenged in Illinois for having profanity and violent content.
Saga, Brian Vaughan
Challenged in Oregon for being ‘anti-family’ and for sexual content.
The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman
Challenged for violent imagery.
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