Books Banned for Political Content
60 books · 612 total challenges
1984
1984 is George Orwell's dystopian novel about Winston Smith, a low-ranking member of the ruling Party in the totalitaria...
The Giver
Lois Lowry's Newbery Medal-winning dystopian novel about a society that has eliminated pain, color, and choice, challeng...
The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials)
Philip Pullman's fantasy novel about a girl in a parallel universe, challenged for anti-religious themes and criticized ...
All American Boys
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely tackles police brutality and racism through two teens' perspective...
The Grapes of Wrath
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck follows the Joad family's migration from Oklahoma to California during the Dust Bo...
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins' dystopian novel about children forced to fight to the death, challenged for violence, anti-government t...
New Kid
Jordan Banks, a Black seventh-grader from Washington Heights, navigates being one of the few kids of color at a prestigi...
Animal Farm
Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegorical novella about a farm revolution that descends into tyranny. Banned for po...
Catch-22
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller is a satirical war novel about the absurdity of military bureaucracy. Banned for sexual conten...
People Kill People
People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins examines gun violence through six interconnected perspectives. Banned across multipl...
Nickel and Dimed
Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich is an undercover investigation of low-wage work in America. Challenged for promot...
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
#1 NYT antiracism text that became a major school ban target across America....
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood's dystopian novel about a theocratic regime that subjugates women has become a cultural touchstone. Now ...
Persepolis
Marjane Satrapi's graphic memoir about living under the Iranian Revolution became an acclaimed film....
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. was banned in Texas in 2010 because the State Board of Educa...
The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand's novel about architect Howard Roark, who refuses to compromise his artistic vision despite societal pressure t...
A Spark of Light
A Spark of Light...
All-American Girl
All-American Girl...
The Freedom Writers Diary
True stories from a Long Beach classroom where 'at-risk' students found their voices through writing, inspired by teache...
#BlackLivesMatter: Protesting Racism
'#BlackLivesMatter: Protesting Racism...
Equal Rights
'Equal Rights...
Gay Issues and Politics: Marriage, the Military, & Work Place Discrimination
'Gay Issues and Politics: Marriage, the Military, & Work Place Discrimination...
No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure
'No Girls Allowed: Tales of Daring Women Dressed as Men for Love, Freedom and Adventure...
Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights
'Peaceful Fights for Equal Rights...
Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History
'Rainbow Revolutionaries: Fifty LGBTQ+ People Who Made History...
Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom
'Black Appetite. White Food.: Issues of Race, Voice, and Justice Within and Beyond the Classroom...
Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the Afronet to Black Lives Matter
'Black Software: The Internet & Racial Justice, from the Afronet to Black Lives Matter...
Born Out of Struggle: Critical Race Theory, School Creation, and the Politics of Interruption
'Born Out of Struggle: Critical Race Theory, School Creation, and the Politics of Interruption...
Brown v. Board of Education: A Fight for Simple Justice
'Brown v. Board of Education: A Fight for Simple Justice...
Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics
'Considering Hate: Violence, Goodness, and Justice in American Culture and Politics...
Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World
'Culturally Sustaining Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning for Justice in a Changing World...
Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice: Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World
'Eleanor Roosevelt, Fighter for Justice: Her Impact on the Civil Rights Movement, the White House, and the World...
Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America
'Enough! 20 Protesters Who Changed America...
Freedom in Congo Square
'Freedom in Congo Square...
Good Trouble: Lessons from the Civil Rights Playbook
'Good Trouble: Lessons from the Civil Rights Playbook...
Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad
'Henry's Freedom Box: A True Story from the Underground Railroad...
Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights
'Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights...
Locked Up for Freedom: Civil Rights Protesters at the Leesburg Stockade
'Locked Up for Freedom: Civil Rights Protesters at the Leesburg Stockade...
Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights
'Malala: My Story of Standing Up for Girls' Rights...
More Than a Game: Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports
'More Than a Game: Race, Gender, and Politics in Sports...
On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope
'On the Other Side of Freedom: The Case for Hope...
Political Resistance in the Current Age
'Political Resistance in the Current Age...
Protest Movements: Then and Now
'Protest Movements: Then and Now...
Protesting Police Violence in Modern America
'Protesting Police Violence in Modern America...
Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride and Protest in the Fight for Queer Rights
'Rainbow Revolutions: Power, Pride and Protest in the Fight for Queer Rights...
Rebel Girl Revolution (Fat Angie Series)
'Rebel Girl Revolution (Fat Angie Series)...
Reparations, Yes!: The Legal And Political Reasons Why New Afrikans, Black People In North America, Should Be Paid Now For The Enslavement Of Our Ancestors
'Reparations, Yes!: The Legal And Political Reasons Why New Afrikans, Black People In North America, Should Be Paid Now ...
Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution.
'Stonewall: A Building. An Uprising. A Revolution....
Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring
'Subtractive Schooling: U.S.-Mexican Youth and the Politics of Caring...
Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom
'Teaching to Transgress: Education as the Practice of Freedom...
Teen Legal Rights
'Teen Legal Rights...
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore
'The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore...
Transgender Rights and Issues
'Transgender Rights and Issues...
Transgender Rights and Protections
'Transgender Rights and Protections...
Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington
'Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington...
We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures
'We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures...
We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom
'We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom...
What Is the Women's Rights Movement? (What was...? Series)
'What Is the Women's Rights Movement? (What was...? Series)...
Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice
'Woke: A Young Poets Call to Justice...
Your Rights as an LGBTQ+ Teen
'Your Rights as an LGBTQ+ Teen...