Banned Books from SocialJusticeBooks.org

 

From: https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/banned-books/?fbclid=IwAR15Ghog3-UOqYrYMx_vMnMGXl-T4iL6PR_EdjkdNaHi4QcAmFY89vYrbRI

Our Recommended Banned Books

Elementary | Middle School | High School | Educators | Not Recommended | Learn More

According to PEN America, book bans and challenges have increased exponentially since 2021, and hundreds of books are being taken off shelves and out of classrooms. The majority of banned books are written by and about Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian-American, and LGBTQ+ authors and characters whose stories speak powerful and important truths about history, identity, resilience, and imagination.

In response, many people are hosting banned book readings, giveaways, and displays. To support these efforts, we created a list of some of our favorite banned books.

How do we know these are banned books? Most of the titles are in the comprehensive PEN America database. A few titles were reported to us directly by teachers.

There are some “top ten” banned books that get a lot of attention and, consequently, increased sales — while others risk going out of print due to the censorship and limited limelight. For this reason, our list does not include many wonderful authors whose books we also recommend, such as Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Johnson, and Beloved and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison.

Titles that we recommend are featured below. The ones with reviews have an asterisk (*). At the end of this page is a list of titles that we do not recommend.

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Elementary

Note: Our focus is on books that address social issues and represent the diversity of the United States. Given the crises in the world today with voting rights, public health, the climate, and more — literature should inform and inspire young people to shape a more just future. This collection is a sampling of the type of titles we recommend featuring. There are hundreds more titles that we recommend.

 

All The Colors We Are: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color*

By Katie Kissinger

And Tango Makes Three

By Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, Henry Cole (Illustrator)

Before She Was Harriet*

By Lesa Cline Ransome, James E. Ransome

Black Is a Rainbow
Color *

By Angela Joy, Ekua Holmes (Illustrator)

Carter Reads the Newspaper *

By Deborah Hopkinson, Don Tate (Illustrator)

Crown An Ode to the Fresh Cut

By Derrick Barnes

The Day You Begin*

By Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López
Spanish version available here: El Día En Que Descubres Quién Eres

 

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music*

By Margarita Engle, Rafael Lopez (Illustrator)

Each Kindness *

By Jacqueline Woodson, E. B. Lewis (Illustrator)

Fry Bread: A Native American Family Story*

By Kevin Noble Maillard, Juana Martinez Neal

Going Down Home with Daddy

By Kelly Starling Lyons

Hair Love*

By Matthew A. Cherry

I Am Every Good Thing

By Derrick Barnes and Gordon C. James

Islandborn*

By Junot Diaz, Leo Espinosa (Illustrator)

Lailah's Lunchbox: A Ramadan Story

By Reem Faruqi, Lea Lyon (Illustrator)

Last Stop on Market Street*

By Matt De La Pena, Christian Robinson (Illustrator)

Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop: The Sanitation Strike of 1968

By Alice Faye Duncan

Milo's Museum*

By Zetta Elliott

My Papi Has a Motorcycle*

By Isabel Quintero, Zeke Peña (Illustrator)

Our Skin: A First Conversation
About Race *

By Megan Madison,  Jessica Ralli, and Isabel Roxas (Illustrator)

The People Shall Continue *

By Simon Ortiz

Place Inside of Me: A Poem to Heal the Heart

By Zetta Elliott and Noa Denmon (Illustrator)

The Proudest Blue: A Story of Hijab and Family*

By Ibtihaj Muhammad

Sam!

By Dani Gabriel, Robert Liu-Trujillo (Illustrator)

Separate Is Never Equal: Sylvia Mendez and Her Family's Fight for Desegregation*

By Duncan Tonatiuh

 

Sing a Song: How "Lift Every Voice and Sing" Inspired Generations*

By  Kelly Starling Lyons

Sulwe *

By Lupita Nyong'o, Vashti Harrison

Under My Hijab

By Hena Khan

When Aidan Became a Brother

By Kyle Lukoff, Kaylani Juanita (Illustrator)

When Wilma Rudolph Played Basketball

By Mark Weakland and Daniel Duncan (Illustrator)

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Middle School

Bayou Magic

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

Before We Were Free *

By Julia Alvarez

Front Desk*

By Kelly Yang

Esperanza Rising

By Pam Muñoz Ryan

About the Author

The House on Mango Street

By Sandra Cisneros

Indian No More*

By Charlene Willing McManis, Traci Sorell

Ninth Ward

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

When Stars Are Scattered *

By Victoria Jamieson and Omar Mohamed
More banned graphic novels.

A Young People's History of the United States: Revised and Updated

By Howard Zinn, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff, additions by Ed Morales

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High School

47

By Walter Mosley

The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

By Dashka Slater

All American Boys

By Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely

American Street*

By Ibi Zoboi

Angel of Greenwood

By Randi Pink

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe*

By Benjamin Alire Saenz

Black Was the Ink *

By Michelle Coles 

Brown Girl Dreaming

By Jacqueline Woodson

Clap When You Land *

By Elizabeth Acevedo

Gaby, Lost and Found*

By Angela Cervantes

The Hate U Give *

By Angie Thomas

I Am Alfonso Jones *

By Tony Medina, Stacey Robinson (Illustrator), and John Jennings (Illustrator), foreword by Bryan Stevenson

An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States for Young People*

By Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz, Debbie Reese

Juliet Takes a Breath *

By Gabby Rivera

Light It Up

By Kekla Magoon

The Marrow Thieves*

By Cherie Dimaline

Out of Darkness *

By Ashley Hope Pérez

Parable of the Sower: A Graphic Novel Adaptation

By Octavia E. Butler, Damian Duffy (Adapted by), John Jennings (Illustrator)

Piecing Me Together*

By Renée Watson

The Poet X*

By Elizabeth Acevedo

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition *

By Jeanne Theoharis and Brandy Colbert

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry *

By Mildred D. Taylor

They Called Themselves the KKK: The Birth of an American Terrorist Group

By Susan Bartoletti

They Called Us Enemy

By George Takei and Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott and Harmony Becker

Troublemaker for Justice: The Story of Bayard Rustin, the Man Behind the March on Washington*

By Jacqueline Houtman, Walter Naegle, Michael G. Long

Watch Us Rise

By Renee Watson, Ellen Hagan

We Are Not Yet Equal: Understanding Our Racial Divide *

By Carol Anderson and Tonya Bolden

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Educators

For White Folks Who Teach in the Hood... and the Rest of Y'all Too: Reality Pedagogy and Urban Education

By Christopher Emdin

Multiplication Is for White People: Raising Expectations for Other People's Children

By Lisa Delpit

Pedagogy of the Oppressed: 50th Anniversary Edition *

By Paulo Freire

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Banned Books Titles That We Don’t Recommend Featuring

We also list some highly visible, yet problematic titles that we do not recommend. These are frequently included in banned book displays and giveaways. While they should not be banned,  we do not recommend featuring them because, unfortunately, they convey values of sexism, racism, ableism, or colonialism — or are inaccurate.

• Antiracist Baby by Ibram Kendi
• Drama: A Graphic Novel by Raina Telgemeier
• Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
• I Am Rosa Parks by Brad Meltzer
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Ziggy, Stardust and Me by James Brandon

 

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Learn More

• Banned Books and Publishing Industry Censorship
• NEA’s Read Across America Books Banned or Challenged in Schools
• More articles

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Learn about our criteria for selecting titles at Social Justice Books. Feedback on these lists and suggestions for additional titles are welcome.

Most of the books on these lists are linked for more information or purchase to Bookshop (an indie bookstore platform) and / or Powells.com (an independent, unionized bookstore). A small percentage from book sales through these links goes to Teaching for Change.

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