If you’ve ever visited the library in the last week of September, I’m sure you’re familiar with Banned Books Week. Every year, libraries across the country celebrate the right to read any book without fear of censorship or retaliation. It’s one of the great things about being an American; in libraries, we call it intellectual freedom.
However, every year, books are still being censored, challenged, and banned from libraries. There are, of course, the usual suspects: 1984, Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Grapes of Wrath, and To Kill a Mockingbird, but some of the newer titles which are challenged may surprise you.
The following are the top 10 banned and challenged books of 2019 and their reasons for being banned and challenged according to the American Library Association. The full list of reasons for each books’ challenge can be found here. All of the following books can be checked out at LPCPL.
Reasons: LGBTQ+ content
Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
Reasons: LGBTQ+ content, accused of being sexually explicit
A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss, illustrated by EG Keller
Reasons: LGBTQ+ content
Sex is a Funny Word by Cory Silverberg, illustrated by Fiona Smyth
Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content, covering topics of sex education
Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Stevie Lewis
Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content
I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings, illustrated by Shelagh McNicholas
Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Reasons: Profanity, “vulgarity and sexual overtones”
Drama written and illustrated by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: LGBTQIA+ content
Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling
Reasons: Depicting witchcraft
And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson, illustrated by Henry Cole
Reason: LGBTQIA+ content
Banned Books Week was originally launched in the 1980s, during a time of increased book challenges, protests, and the Island Trees School District v. Pico (1982) Supreme Court case, ruling that school officials cannot ban books in libraries based on content. The marketing initiative was led by Judith F. Krug and has been carried on by libraries ever since to promote intellectual freedom.
If you have any questions about Banned Books Week, or would like to find out more about how you can get involved, check out the American Library Association’s Banned Books Week advocacy page or ask about it at any library location!
Check out the American Library Association’s frequently challenged books lists to learn more about what books have been challenged in the past.
