Celebrate Banned Books Week With Some of the Most Controversial Titles Ever
If you’re living in the United States, you’ve no doubt heard of book banning—but what is it? Why does it matter? Who is it really affecting? And, above all else, how do we fight back?
Whether you’re a teacher looking for titles to add to next year’s syllabus, a parent intent on giving their children a well-rounded education, or an avid reader looking to read some of the classics, you’re in luck—there are plenty of banned books to choose from. Once you’ve read up on this politically charged topic, you can start stocking your shelf with all the banned books you please and celebrate Banned Books Week the right way!
What Counts as a Banned Book?
When you read a headline about book banning, it’s important to understand exactly what the journalists are describing. By definition, a banned book is a novel that has been prohibited, restricted, or removed from access within a specific community, school, or library. Though the exact reasons for a title being banned vary, this is widely considered a form of censorship.
What is The Difference Between a Banned Book and a Challenged Book?
When an individual or group attempts to remove a book from the shelves, that title is officially “challenged.” While it is being reviewed by the given authority figure, the book either remains on the shelf or, in some cases, is temporarily restricted. Think of challenging a book as the first step, while banning the book is the desired outcome.
Who is Behind Book Banning?
These days, book bans in schools and community centers are rapidly increasing. Studies show that the main people behind banning books belong to right-wing activist organizations or have ties to republican lawmakers. When experts examine the data, there is a long list of local and state-wide groups pushing for book bans, including Moms for Liberty, Mass Resistance, and No Left Turn in Education.
The States With the Highest Book Banning Frequency:
- Texas
- Florida
- Missouri
- Utah
- South Carolina
The Most Common Reasons Books Are Challenged
If you’re trying to understand United States book bans, it’s important to note that specific reasons vary from state to state. Sometimes, as you’ll see when reading for Banned Books Week, the challenger will claim a title contains offensive subject matter, even if it does not. Most banned books are said to include these touchy subjects:
- Violence
- Race
- Sexual content
- Age inappropriateness
- Religion
- Profanity
- LGBTQIA+ themes
- Political bias
- Drug use
What Are The Negative Effects of Book Banning?
Contrary to popular belief, book bans don’t protect anyone—in fact, they limit our ability to feel empathy. Reading from perspectives of people who don’t look, talk, or act like us is crucial for fostering emotional intelligence and critical thinking skills.
When we, as a culture, encounter ideas that differ from our own, we are forced to consider opposing viewpoints and form our own opinions. When those resources are taken away at local bookstores and libraries, we encourage a dangerous hive mind.
What is Banned Books Week?
Banned Books Week was a response to a surge of challenged books in 1982. The annual event is designed to highlight the importance of free and varied information. Each year, Banned Books Week brings together librarians, educators, booksellers, authors, publishers, and readers of all ages around one common goal: to raise awareness about the dangers of censorship and revel in the freedom to read whatever you want!
When is Banned Books Week in 2025?
Though Banned Books Week typically falls within the last week of September, this year, the event will be hosted from October 5th through the 11th. Lean into the “Censorship is So 1984—Read for Your Rights” theme and fill your TBR with all the banned books you can think of.
5 Ways to Celebrate Banned Books Week
- 1. Download the banned books as audiobooks (bonus points if you use a competitor of Audible!)
- 2. Shop small and buy the banned titles from your local Rochester bookstore
- 3. Read a banned book in your book club
- 4. Attend book ban rallies, protests, and “read-outs” (the bibliophile’s version of a “sit-in”)
- 5. Contact your elected officials and convince them to help fight the battle against book banning
Explore Some of the Most Popular Banned Books on Our Shelves
With book banning on the rise, more and more readers are interested in reading these so-called controversial titles. Spanning different book genres, authors, and age ranges, banned books have something for everyone. Celebrate Banned Books Week the right way with one of these commonly challenged books:
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Set in the not-so-distant dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The totalitarian regime, the Republic of Gilead, has overthrown the U.S. government and set on enforcing rigid social roles and enslaving all fertile women into a class known as the Handmaids. Though they are bound by law to produce heirs for the ruling elite of the colony, Handmaid Offred and the others are determined to find ways to resist—no matter the risk.
Met with widespread acclaim, The Handmaid’s Tale is often considered essential feminist literature. Those who wish to ban the book, however, claim the religious extremism, political themes, and sexually violent plot points are morally corrupt and even, depending on the challenging group, anti-Christian.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Each year, the Capitol requires each of the 12 surrounding districts of Panem to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to fight to the death in the live-streamed Hunger Games. When 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place as tribute, she’s sure it’s a death sentence. But survival is her second nature—if she can make the right connections in the Capitol, get her sponsor to quit drinking, and play nice with the other District 12 tribute, Peeta, she just may have a shot at winning it all.
Let’s face it—The Hunger Games series defined a generation of young readers. Though it’s written for a YA audience, critics have worked hard to ban the book from libraries and schools, raising concerns about the violence, offensive language, and anti-government sentiments. We wouldn’t want kids to get the wrong idea about tyrannical leaders, now, would we?
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Wall’s beloved memoir, The Glass Castle, is a revelatory look into a deeply dysfunctional yet vibrant family. With a father who, when sober, was wonderful and, when drunk, destructive, and a free-spirited mother who abhorred the idea of domesticity and raising a family, Jeannette and her siblings learned early on they would have to take care of themselves. After years of feeding, clothing, and protecting one another, the three escaped their impoverished life, fleeing to New York—with their now-homeless parents following closely behind.
The Glass Castle is a banned book in several states due to its “sexually explicit content,” depictions of alcoholism, and themes of abuse, poverty, and racism. But if you look beyond those hard and real (this is a memoir, after all) struggles, you find an uplifting story of resilience, unconditional love, and unbreakable sibling bonds.
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
In The Bluest Eye, 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove is a young Black girl in an America that loves nothing more than blond, blue-eyed children. She prays every day for her eyes to turn blue—so that she will be beautiful, so people will notice her, so her world will be different. She yearns for something new—until one day, in the autumn of 1941, when her wishes come true in devastating and tragic circumstances.
In her first novel, acclaimed author and Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison dared to shine a light on our society’s obsession with beauty and conformity. But ever since its release in 1970, countless organizations have fought to keep it off the shelves, citing sexually explicit material, depictions of assault and abuse, and, surprisingly, an “underlying socialist-communist agenda.”
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Nothing ever happens in Sterling, New Hampshire—until one day, when a school shooting devastates the town. The daughter of the judge on the case, Josie Cormier, is meant to be the star witness, but for some reason, her memories are hazy. As truths come out and the trial progresses in Nineteen Minutes, cracks begin to splinter the high schoolers and adult communities apart, destroying friendships and families in their chasms.
Gun control and protecting our kids are amongst the most divisive issues in the nation, so it’s no surprise that Nineteen Minutes ranks as the most banned book containing a school shooting. Ironically, the number one reason for challenges was not the violence—it was a single page referencing a date rape.
1984 by George Orwell
Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history in order to satisfy the Ministry of Truth. With every lie he writes, his hatred grows for the power-seeking Party that revels in persecuting those who commit thoughtcrimes. But, as he begins to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the feeling that Big Brother is always watching.
No one can deny that 1984 has captured the minds of generations, and yet, it remains the most banned book of all time—why? Could it be that it explores the danger of authoritarian governments? Its tongue-in-cheek rhetoric towards politics and the idea of censorship? Celebrate Banned Books Week and pick up a copy today!
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Taking place in early-20th-century rural Georgia, sisters Celie and Nettie remain loyal to one another years after being separated as young girls. Through a series of letters spanning 30 years, this banned book dives deep into a rich and authentic portrayal of the pain, struggles, resilience, and bravery Black women had to face (and still do, in some cases), with the power of female friendship guiding them at every turn.
A beloved musical, movie, and book, The Color Purple is a favorite worldwide—so why is it so often the subject of book-banning sprees? When you look at all the challenges, they often claim these themes:
- Homosexuality
- Violence
- Explicit language
- Racism
- Sexism
- Abuse
- African history
- Incest
- Drug use
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
To many, Bruce Bechdel was a distant and exacting English teacher and funeral home director. It wasn’t until college that his daughter Alison, who came out as a lesbian, discovered that Bruce was also gay. A few weeks later, he was dead, leaving a tangled web of lies and secrets for Alison to solve.
Alison Bechdel’s groundbreaking graphic novel and memoir, Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic, defies genres to bring her personal story to life. But, due to its positive LGBTQ+ content and sexual themes, it remains a frequently challenged and banned book in different schools and organizations.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
At 16 years old, Starr Carter balances between two worlds: the poor neighborhood she lives in and the suburban prep school she attends. When she witnesses the fatal police shooting of her unarmed childhood best friend, Khalil, everything she knows shatters. As his death becomes a national headline, with some calling him a thug and others protesting in the streets, cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. They all want to know what really went down that night, and Starr is the only person alive who holds the answer—but what she says could upend her community and change her life forever.
The Hate U Give was written after the murder of George Floyd and the ensuing protests of 2020—so it’s no surprise that it’s often brought up in talks of book banning. Those against it claim it’s due to inappropriate language and violence, but when it boils down to it, many groups admit it’s largely due to its perceived anti-police themes.
The Ridiculous But True Reasons These Kids’ Books Were Banned:
-
The Adventures of Captain Underpants, written and illustrated by Dav Pilkey: potty humor and themes about questioning authority
- Drama: A Graphic Novel, written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier: LGBTQ+ representation
- Freckleface Strawberry, written by Julianne Moore and illustrated by LeUyen Pham: DEI content and gender themes
- It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, Gender, and Sexual Health, written by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley: violence, curse words, toilet humor, illustrated images of naked bodies
- And Tango Makes Three, written by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell and illustrated by Henry Cole: depicts same-sex penguins raising an adopted chick
Banning books is often seen as an infringement on our First Amendment rights. If you agree, consider participating in Banned Books Week with one of the timeless titles on our list. If none caught your eye, don’t worry—there are nearly 16,000 other banned books to choose from. Swing by Novel, shop our shelves, and break your reading slump today!