Banned Book Week, Oct. 1-7. 2023

Titles relating to ALA's Banned Book Week.

Updated October 5, 2023
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I know why the caged bird sings
Angelou, Maya.
Paper Book
The moving and beautiful autobiography of a talented black woman. . . . I have no words for this achievement, but I know that not since the days of my childhood . . . have I found myself so moved . . . Her portrait is a Biblical study of life in the midst of death.--James Baldwin.
The color purple
Walker, Alice
Paper Book
Celie is a poor black woman whose letters tell the story of 20 years of her life, beginning at age 14 when she is being abused and raped by her father and attempting to protect her sister from the same fate, and continuing over the course of her marriage to "Mister," a brutal man who terrorizes...
The catcher in the rye
Salinger, J. D.
Paper Book
The "brilliant, funny, meaningful novel" (The New Yorker) that established J. D. Salinger as a leading voice in American literature--and that has instilled in millions of readers around the world a lifelong love of books. "If you...
To kill a mockingbird
Lee, Harper.
Paper Book
"Shoot all the bluejays you want, if you can hit 'em, but remember it's a sin to kill a mockingbird." A lawyer's advice to his children as he defends the real mockingbird of Harper Lee's classic novel--a black man charged with the rape of a white girl. Through the young eyes of Scout and...
Literature suppressed on religious grounds
Bald, Margaret.
Paper Book
Discusses some 100 books that have been targets of religious censorship over the centuries, encompassing texts of the world's major religions, novels, and classic works of philosophy, science, and history, as well as contemporary works. Alphabetical entries describe the content of each work and rev
Banned in the U.S.A. : a reference guide to book censorship in schools and public libraries
Foerstel, Herbert N.
Paper Book
Since the first edition was published to acclaim and awards in 1994, librarians have relied on the work of noted intellectual freedom authority Herbert N. Foerstel. This expanded edition presents a thorough analysis of the current state of book banning in schools and public libraries, offering...
Literature suppressed on sexual grounds
Sova, Dawn B.
Paper Book
Describes the content and histories of some 100 fiction and nonfiction works from many cultures and time periods censored on grounds of sexual content, illuminating changing attitudes toward the erotic through a survey of the legal fate of classic and representative works. Includes biographical pro
Literature suppressed on social grounds
Sova, Dawn B.
Paper Book
Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds, Revised Edition discusses writings that have been banned over the centuries because they offended or merely ignored official truths; challenged widely held assumptions; or contained ideas or language unacceptable to a state, religious institution, or private...
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
Rowling, J. K.
Paper Book
Harry Potter spent ten long years living with Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, an aunt and uncle whose outrageous favoritism of their perfectly awful son Dudley leads to some of the most inspired dark comedy since Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But fortunately for Harry, he's about to be granted a...
Censored : a literary history of subversion and control
Fellion, Matthew
Paper Book
When Henry Vizetelly was imprisoned in 1889 for publishing the novels of Émile Zola in English, the problem was not just Zola's French candour about sex - it was that Vizetelly's books were cheap, and ordinary people could read them. Censored exposes the role that power plays in censorship. In...
Burning the books : a history of the deliberate destruction of knowledge
Ovenden, Richard
Paper Book
Wolfson History Prize Finalist A New Statesman Book of the Year A Sunday Times Book of the Year "If you care about books, and if you believe we must all stand up to the destruction of knowledge and cultural heritage, this is a brilliant read--both...
An American paradox : censorship in a nation of free speech
Garry, Patrick M.
Paper Book
Although speech in America may be more free and robust than anywhere else on earth, censorship has maintained its grip on American society and has even increased in recent years. Not only is censorship occurring in many different areas of speech, but it is also being advocated by new groups of...
Intellectual freedom stories from a shifting landscape
Nye, Valerie
Paper Book
Intellectual freedom is a complex concept that democracies and free societies around the world define in different ways but always strive to uphold. And ALA has long recognized the crucial role that libraries play in protecting this right. But what does it mean in practice? How do library workers...
Intellectual freedom manual
Paper Book
Libraries, havens for the free exchange of ideas and information, face wide-ranging challenges relating to privacy and censorship from government, special interest groups, and others. With the updated seventh edition of the "Intellectual Freedom Manual", librarians have practical support at hand...
Looking for Alaska
Green, John
Paper Book
The award-winning, genre-defining debut from John Green, the #1 bestselling author of The Anthropocene Reviewed and The Fault in Our StarsWinner of the Michael L. Printz Award * A Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist * A New York Times...
Censorship in America : a reference handbook
Hull, Mary.
Paper Book
Presenting an overview of information control in America, this volume discusses why some works of art and literature are controversial, and examines the arguments of both those who advocate unlimited free speech and those who would impose some limits. Censorship in America<...
The complete Persepolis
Satrapi, Marjane
Paper Book
Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up as a girl in Iran during the revolution has for twenty years been a classroom staple, a feminist manifesto, and one of the most popular and widely known graphic novels of all time. <...

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