Gov. Ron DeSantis' book banning in Central Florida is a scary reminder that books are still being banned and challenged today. Thanks to the efforts of librarians, teachers, students, booksellers, and community members who stand up and speak out for the freedom to read, the majority of banned books have remained available. Below are some of the many books that have been banned or challenged in the past few years.
The American Library Association Office for Intellectual Freedom, the organizers of the Banned Book Week, is a great resource on the topic of banned and challenged books. Read more on their website.
"Censorship has nothing to do with protecting children, it has to do with protecting adults who don’t want to have difficult conversations with those children." —Laurie Halse Anderson
If you would like to read more, Pen America has a fantastic article about Banned Books on their website.
Reasons: Contains inappropriate curse words and a depiction of a naked character.
Reasons: Banned and challenged for being “a racially divisive and revisionist account of history that threatens the integrity of the Union by denying the true principles on which it was founded.”
Reasons: Banned and challenged because of author’s public statements, and because of claims that the book contains “selective storytelling incidents” and does not encompass racism against all people
Reason: Contains sexually explicit content.
Reasons: Challenged, banned, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, drug use, and alcoholism, and because it was thought to promote anti-police views, contain divisive topics, and be “too much of a sensitive matter right now”
Reasons: Challenged for “divisive language” and because it was thought to promote anti-police views
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and their negative effect on students, featuring a “white savior” character, and its perception of the Black experience
Reasons: Banned and challenged for racial slurs and racist stereotypes, and their negative effect on students
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and depicts child sexual abuse
Reasons: Challenged for profanity, and it was thought to promote an anti-police message
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity and for “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
Reasons: Challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and for concerns that it goes against “family values/morals”
Reason: Challenged and relocated for LGBTQIA+ content
Reasons: This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”
Reasons: Challenged for a sexually explicit scene that may lead a student to “sexual experimentation”
Reason: Challenged for offensive language
Reasons: offensive language, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group, and other (“profanity and atheism”)
Reasons: violence and other (“graphic images”)
Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”
Reasons: Occult/Satanism, offensive language, religious viewpoint, sexually explicit
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Reasons: contains “several passages that were 'extremely' vulgar detailing sexual acts.”
Reasons: Challenged and banned because it "might make students feel discomfort, guilt, anguish, or any other form of psychological distress because of their race or sex.”
Reasons: “Pro-communist and contains explicit sexual matter.”
Reasons: Sex, violence, and profanity. "It is a filthy, filthy book."
Reasons: Challenged because of language and sexual references.
Reasons: The book contains the phrase "God damn" and uses God and Jesus in a "vain and profane manner along with inappropriate sexual references."
Reasons: "Sexual and social explicitness" and "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality."
Reasons: Challenged because of its several references to women as "whores."
Reasons: Sexuality, drugs, suicide.
Reasons: Profanity and questions the existence of God.
Reasons: language and sexual explicitness.
Reasons: profanity and images of violence and sexuality
Reasons: "Vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit."
Reasons: "Contains foul language and promotes deviant sexual behavior.”
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content, and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images
Reasons: Recurring themes of rape, masturbation, violence, and degrading treatment of women.
Reason: Satanic
Reason: "Blasphemous to the prophet Mohammed."
Reason: "A filthy, trashy sex novel."
Reason: Promotes homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle.
Reasons: language and portrayals of violence, racism, sexuality, childhood rape and teen pregnancy
Reasons: LGBT characters, drug use, profanity, and sexually explicit with mature themes
Reasons: religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Reasons: Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit
Reasons: Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references and use of a derogatory term
Reasons: Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women
Reasons: Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sexual education and LGBTQIA+ content.
Reasons: Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.