Banned Books Week 2024, September 22-28
September 6, 2024
For Banned Books Week, September 22-28, join us in reading and advocating for the freedom to read diverse literature. The short lists of challenged and banned books below (with links to our catalog) were drawn from various sources, including:
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The American Library Association (ALA), which tracks books that have been banned or challenged across the U.S. For this year’s Banned Books Week, dive into ALA’s data and learn how you can take action.
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Pen America, which works to defend the right to free expression. Read what they have to say about banned books, and check out their lists.
For an easy-to-browse selection of frequently challenged titles, see our Banned Books collection in Overdrive.
Frequently banned (all time)
1984, George Orwell
Alice (series), Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Beloved, Toni Morrison
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (series), Alvin Schwartz
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger
The Color Purple, Alice Walker
The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald
To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
More banned classics
A Farewell to Arms, Ernest Hemingway
Animal Farm, George Orwell
As I Lay Dying, William Faulkner
Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
Catch-22, Joseph Heller
Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell
Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov
Lord of the Flies, William Golding
Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
The Call of the Wild, Jack London
The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
Banned for racial topics
The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones
All American Boys, Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Between the World and Me, Ta-Nehisi Coates
Ghost Boys, Jewell Parker Rhodes
Hood Feminism, Mikki Kendall
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You, Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas
Banned for LGBTQ themes
All Boys Aren't Blue, George M. Johnson
Flamer, Mike Curato
Gender Queer: A Memoir, Maia Kobabe
Let's Talk About It: The Teen's Guide to Sex, Relationships, and Being a Human, Erika Moen and Matthew Nolan
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Jesse Andrews
Red, White & Royal Blue, Casey McQuiston
Sold, Patricia McCormick
The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison
This Book Is Gay, Juno Dawson
The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky
Tricks, Ellen Hopkins
Banned children’s books
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L’Engle
And Tango Makes Three, Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, Judy Blume
Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
Captain Underpants (series), Dav Pilkey
Harry Potter (series), J.K. Rowling
James and the Giant Peach, Roald Dahl
The Giver, Lois Lowry
This One Summer, Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki
Resources
American Library Association Resources shares resources and activities related to Banned Books Week
Banned and Challenged: Restricting access to books in the U.S., a podcast series from NPR, including interviews with authors of banned books
America's Top Librarian on the Rise of Book Bans, a New York Times podcast
Michigan Right to Read, a grassroots coalition of concerned Michigan residents organized by the Michigan Library Association, offering a list of 10 action items everyone can take
Freedom to Read Foundation, a non-profit legal and educational organization affiliated with the American Library Association, protects and defends the First Amendment to the Constitution and supports the right of libraries to collect — and individuals to access — information
PEN America, a nationwide community of writers and devoted readers and supporters uniting to celebrate creative expression and defend the liberties that make it possible. PEN America, along with Penguin Random House and a diverse group of authors, have joined with parents and students from Escambia County, Florida, to file a federal lawsuit challenging removals and restrictions of books from school libraries that violate their rights to free speech and equal protection under the law
Banned Books are available as eBooks and audiobooks in OverDrive for U-M affiliates
Children's Literature Research Guide, section with book challenge research resources
State Policies on Book Challenges in Schools and Libraries collection examines the often “lost” or “hidden” documentation behind book challenges and bans in schools and libraries.
