Books are a powerful thing. They have the ability to create empathy with characters in a way not many other mediums can. When you open up a book, you’re inside the mind of the protagonist, allowing you to experience everything they do (when it’s written well, at least). Books are also very accessible through libraries, bookstores, and online, making it an effective tool to learn about different cultures or lifestyles or to drive a message home.
Which is why people are always trying to ban books they don’t agree with. However a lot of the time these are the very books we should be reading and talking about, especially if they destigmatize sex, encourage tolerance and equality, talk about ugly social issues, and fight hate. So here are some banned books to read in 2019.
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
Reasons for banning: Sexual content (apparently rape is erotic and glorifies pre-marital sex)
After a freshman high school girl was raped at a party, she stops talking almost altogether, unable to cope with what happened to her.
“In Speak, Anderson of necessity has to employ a nonlinear plot and disruptive temporality to emphasize Melinda’s response to her traumatic experience: the novelist has to convey stylistically exactly how her protagonist experiences self-estrangement and a sense of shattered identity.”
Barbara Tannert-Smith
Get Speak at your local bookstore.
The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
Reasons for banning: Mentions praying to a non-Christian god. (The horrors of religious tolerance)
A librarian in Basra, Iraq rushes to save her library’s collection of 30,000 books before it’s destroyed by war. Based on a true story.
“In the Koran, the first thing God said to Muhammad was ‘Read.'”
–Alia Muhammad Baker
Get The Librarian of Basra at your local bookstore.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons for banning: sexual content, homosexuality, talks of suicide, and drug use (you know the usual stuff that’s better off festering in our subconscious instead of being talked about. That’s healthy.)
An introverted teenager navigates his way through his first year of high school as he attempts to deal with questions spurred by interactions with his friends and family, including mental health, sexuality, and rape.
“So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I’m still trying to figure out how that could be.”
Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Get The Perks of Being a Wallflower at your local bookstore.
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
Reasons for being banned:
- provocative language (don’t fucking swear)
- anti-Christian content (oh the horror.)
- depictions of bullying and violence (obviously teenagers shouldn’t learn about bullying. Completely inappropriate.)
Note: This book has also been challenged or banned for racial and culture insensitivity for depicting ugly stereotypes about Native American reservations. However, this is written by an Own Voices author who grew up on a Native American reservation. So do with this information what you will.
A 14-year-old boy living on the Spokane Indian Reservation chooses to go to an all-white public high school.
“If you let people into your life a little bit, they can be pretty damn amazing.”
― Sherman Alexie, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
Get The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian at your local bookstore.
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
Reasons for banning: being too Christian (just kidding, homosexuality)
Two teenage boys attempt to set a world record by kissing for 32 hours straight. Narrated by a Greek chorus of gay men lost to AIDs.
“There is no reason that we should ever be ashamed of our bodies or ashamed of our love.”
David Levithan, Two Boys Kissing
Get Two Boys Kissing at your local bookstore.
What are some of your favorite banned books? Leave them in the comments below.
Disclaimer: All of these links are affiliate links, meaning I get a small commission if you purchase a book through one of these links, but at no additional cost to you. I donate 50 percent of my affiliate earnings to Trees for the Future.