It’s not news to anyone that book bans are increasing at an alarming rate throughout the U.S. They’re not just targeting school libraries, either. Book bans (and other insidious censorship efforts) are coming to our local libraries, too. I was horrified last year to learn that there were attempts to defund the local library in my childhood hometown of Garland County, Arkansas. Those attempts were thankfully unsuccessful, but it was nonetheless an eye-opening reminder of exactly what we have to lose. Local libraries are a bastion of free speech and free thought. They promote literacy, education, and community. Of course, those are things people proposing book bans are frequently trying to dismantle. The goal of censorship is to control what people think by controlling what they can read and learn.
Book bans target and affect the most at-risk members of society. That’s not a coincidence, either. Learn more about that, and how to talk to others about book bans in this incredible article from our resident censorship expert Kelly Jensen.
Considering book bans are as much a historical as modern phenomenon, you might not be surprised to learn that historical fiction isn’t exempt from censorship, either. Just because something is historically accurate or important doesn’t mean it’s safe. These four banned historical fiction books tell important stories about the history of this country and others — but there are people out there who don’t want you to read them. Which is, I think, all the more reason you should.
 Beloved by Toni MorrisonOne of the 100 most challenged books of the decade from 2010 to 2019 according to the American Library Association, Beloved is also the book that won Toni Morrison the Pulitzer Prize. It’s the story of a haunting, a house, a family, and a country still reeling from the violent legacy of slavery. The story is heartbreaking and the prose is as beautiful and moving as Morrison’s writing is known for being. In her 2009 book, Burn This Book, Morrison writes on the subject of censorship: “fear of unmonitored writing is justified — because truth is trouble.” |
 The Kite Runner by Khaled HosseiniThe Kite Runner was met with 73 public school library bans during the 2023-2024 school year, according to PEN.org. This New York Times Bestseller follows a wealthy young boy in Afghanistan and his friendship with the son of his father’s servant, a relationship complicated by their differences in station, means, and ethnicity. Censorship attempts have cited sexual violence, offensive language, homosexuality, and the promotion of terrorism and Islam according to the Banned Books Week website. |
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The Color Purple by Alice WalkerThe Color Purple is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning novel. It was also banned in 50+ school districts from 2023-2024 according to PEN.org. The book depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century Georgia in the American South, from their complicated relationships with each other to the strength and resilience they learn to carry on through hardship and pain. The book has been adapted into several films and a musical over the years, even as Walker has become more known for various controversies. |
 Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda LoA much more recent release, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, made Penguin Random House’s list of most challenged / banned books. It’s a touching story about the daughter of Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the Red Scare of the 1950s. As Lily ventures into SF’s lesbian bar scene alongside one of her classmates, her parents face increasing challenges to their citizenship. Lily’s journey of self discovery is invigorating, but it could also place her family under even more scrutiny. According to the ALA, more than 47% of the books being targeted by book bans feature “the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals.” |
We’re not quiet about our feelings on censorship and banned book here at Book Riot. You can find out more about how to fight back against book bans and specific steps you can take to be proactive against book censorship.
Add even more banned books to your reading list with these round-ups:
10 of the Most Banned and Challenged Books in the Last Decade The 10 Most Challenged Books of 2020 2018’s Top 11 Banned Books According to The American Library Association
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