21 Banned Books That Have Sparked Controversy In The U.S.

Famous banned books disappear from shelves in America more often than we think, but the bigger question is why. Even though there’s no master list or government blacklist, books often vanish quietly after parents, politicians or school boards decide a book or its author has stepped out of line. The reasons can include anything from race, sex, politics or social thought that doesn’t fit the status quo. It can also include anything that makes people uncomfortable. Groups like the American Library Association track these challenges, but the list changes every year because culture wars never rest. At the heart of it, every banned book tells a bigger story: one about who gets to decide what stories are worth telling.

Famously Banned, Censored Or Challenged Books

Most famous banned or challenged books tend to also be some of the most poignant. Some well-known examples of this are To Kill a Mockingbird, The Catcher in the Rye, 1984 and The Bluest Eye. Classrooms and libraries have become places where titles that dare to speak truth are quietly blacklisted for their honesty, especially around topics about race, sex, violence and political dissent. Too often, these books don’t just vanish into oblivion quietly; instead, they force us to ask: who gets to decide what’s “appropriate,” and at what cost?

Books That Have Sparked Controversy Over The Years

Book bans usually happen when a group of people object to a book’s substance, themes or philosophy. Most times, they argue that the ideas presented in the book are harmful, dangerous and not in the best interests of the general public. This process can often be fast and form a broader pattern of community resistance. The American Library Association tracks book ban attempts across the United States every year, and their Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) tracks the data.

What triggers a ban is rarely subtle. Most often, books about race, sexuality, gender identity and political turmoil top the list. Censored books often address the topics that literature is supposed to explore and what it means to be human, to question power or to exist at the margins. Every year, the list changes as new books enter the crosshairs, reflecting the anxieties of the moment. What was once controversial might now seem tame. And what’s banned today can be an indication of what the cultural pressure points of the times are. Here are 21 books that have been flagged over the years in the U.S., reflecting the complicated mix of the nation’s political and moral core values. I selected these books based on their popularity, controversy and literary impact, as well as their frequent appearances on banned and challenged lists across different time periods and regions.

1. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Not many novels have affected the American conscience the way that To Kill a Mockingbird has. Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning debut continues to be a staple in classrooms and courtrooms of public opinion, but that acclaim has come with a lot of resistance. Lee’s raw portrayal of racial injustice in the Deep South, filtered through the innocent eyes of a child, has made it a body of literature that is both praised and censored. Critics argue that its use of racial slurs and themes of violence are too raw for young readers; others claim that protecting students from the dark history of race and racism in America is a form of quietly erasing history. One of the book’s defining qualities is its ability to demand that readers confront the architecture of prejudice and ask themselves how much has really changed. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird has been harshly critiqued throughout the United States since its 1960 publication because of its profanity, racial themes and rape discussion. Critics of the book’s racial slights, portrayal of racism and “white savior” storyline have objected from its first recorded challenge in 1966 in Virginia to its removal from school curriculums in Minnesota, Mississippi and California in the 2010s and 2020s.

Where to buy this book: HarperCollins Publishers

2. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

Since its release in 1951, The Catcher in the Rye has oscillated between being a classic and a literary pariah. For many readers, the book is the epitome of a coming-of-age novel. But for others, it teeters on being inappropriate and subversive. This sentiment has led multiple communities to push for the book to be removed from schools and reading lists. Holden Caulfield, Salinger’s narrator, does not offer a squeaky clean image, but what he does offer instead is an honesty that often feels uncouth, a kind of emotional frankness that catches the confusion, loneliness and vulnerability of adolescence in a way that few novels have been able to accomplish. Since its 1951 publication, The Catcher in the Rye has been among American history’s most often disputed and banned books. It initially caused issues in 1960 when a Tulsa, Oklahoma, teacher got fired for assigning it. Critics condemned Salinger’s novel for its raw language, lewd references and a protagonist who seemed to glorify rebellion. By the 1980s, schools in Wyoming, North Dakota and California had quietly eliminated the novel from their libraries.

Where to buy this book: Penguin Books

3. 1984 by George Orwell

Not many novels have entered the cultural bloodstream as deeply as 1984. Orwell’s bleak, tightly wound dystopia is a world where language is weaponized and truth is flexible and feels less like fiction and more like a warning sign. Unsurprisingly, the novel has faced bans, particularly in places where governments are uncomfortable with how Orwell boldly digs into the machinery of control, surveillance, censorship and manufactured consent. But that discomfort is exactly the point for Orwell. 1984 is a confronting body of work that tries to get to the bottom of what freedoms we’re willing to trade in exchange for being comfortable and whether we would even recognize tyranny as it quietly settles into our daily lives. The book was banned and even destroyed in the Soviet Union and other communist nations in the 1950s because it was viewed as anti-communist propaganda. It also faced challenges in Jackson County, Florida, in 1981 for being “pro-communist” and including “explicit sexual matter.” The book also kept drawing criticism into the twenty-first century. A Jefferson County, Idaho, parent claimed in 2017 that the “violent, sexually charged language” was unsuitable for students, and a year later, parents in Lake Travis, Texas, took 1984 off reading lists because they said it was not appropriate for young readers.

Where to buy this book: Penguin Random House

4. Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

The “problem” with Morrison’s Bluest Eye is that it is not an easy read, and it was never meant to be. Morrison’s acclaimed debut novel tells the story of a young Black girl who believes that having blue eyes will make her beautiful, lovable and visible. What follows is a searing indictment of racism, colorism and the brutal legacy of self-erasure and self-hate. The book’s candid depictions of sexual abuse, incest and psychological trauma have made it one of the most contested books in America. It is exactly the kind of book that ignores the niceties and instead explains race, colorism and Black identity holistically and in all of their nuanced intricacies. In 1998, it was flagged in Montgomery County, Maryland, for being “lewd.” In 1999, it was banned in Baker City, Oregon, for a rape scene and labeled “sexually explicit.” That same year, it was removed from reading lists in Claremont, New Hampshire and in 2005, it was banned in Littleton, Colorado, but reinstated after student protests. Later in 2013, Adams County, Colorado, required parents to be notified before students could read the book, and the Ohio Board of Education president called it “pornographic.” It was also removed from East Wake High in North Carolina (2014), temporarily retained with restrictions in Northville, Michigan (2016) and banned at North Buncombe High in North Carolina (2017). Recent bans include Wentzville, Missouri (2022), Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska (2023) and Katy, Texas (2024).

Where to buy this book: Penguin Random House.

5. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer is extremely personal, and for that reason, it has frequently raised eyebrows. The book is a graphic memoir about the author’s journey toward understanding their identity; it investigates queerness, asexuality and the messy, nonlinear journey to self-acceptance. Critics have zeroed in on a few illustrated panels they claim are too explicit, often without considering the larger context or their place in the story. But for readers who have never seen their experience openly discussed, much less in literary format, Gender Queer is an awakening. It offers language, affirmation and understanding for people who may not understand queerness. According to the American Library Association, Maia Kobabe’s Gender Queer: A Memoir has become one of the most challenged books in the United States for three straight years (2021, 2022 and 2023). Critics have targeted the graphic novel for its LGBTQIA+ themes and images of sexual experiences, calling it “pornographic.” The book’s banning is part of an ongoing cultural struggle over who gets to be visible and who decides what is “appropriate” in public discussions.

Where to buy this book: Penguin Random House

6. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

There’s some irony to the fact that Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, which is a novel about burning books, has also been banned and redacted several times. The futuristic book is set in an American era where firemen set books on fire as a means of control. At the core of the story is an investigation into government mass control, censorship and the aftermath of a society that fears ideas. Since its release, Fahrenheit 451 has been criticized for some of the profane language included in it as well as the topics Bradbury explores within the storyline. Fahrenheit 451 was been banned in Apartheid-era South Africa and restricted at American colleges globally. In 1967, a “Bal-Hi” edition for high schools altered the text without Bradbury’s permission, forcing him to demand that the words be reinstated as he wrote them. The book has also been identified as problematic in Florida (1987), California (1992) and Texas (2006) for its profanity, violence and treatment of Christians.

Where to buy this book: Simon & Schuster

7. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood once said, “Nothing in The Handmaid’s Tale hasn’t already happened.” Set in Gilead, a totalitarian country that was previously the United States, The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian story in which a fertility crisis has resulted in women being subjugated. In the book, Handmaids, or fertile women, are compelled into sexual slavery in order to procreate for the ruling elite. The story is centered around Offred, a Handmaid trying to survive and preserve her identity in this repressive government while managing her relationship with the Commander she serves, his wife and other women within Gilead. Atwood’s bestseller paints a vivid dystopia that reads less like fiction and more like foreboding. Since its publication in 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale has been one of the most persistently blacklisted books in U.S. schools and libraries. Between 2022 and 2024, it was banned in seven Florida counties, including Bay, Manatee and Volusia. It was also removed by Goddard School District in Kansas and 19 community school districts in Iowa. Many other school districts across the U.S. also pulled the book between 2020 and 2024 because of its sexually explicit content, sexual violence and religious concerns about its theocratic state.

Where to buy this book: HarperCollins Publishers

8. Beloved by Toni Morrison

Toni Morrison’s Beloved is not an easy book. It was never meant to be. It’s visceral, lyrical and devastating. In a country that still struggles to reckon with the legacy of slavery, that truth can feel like an indictment. Beloved keeps finding itself on banned book lists because of its poignant and brutally honest portrayal of what was done to Black bodies and minds during slavery. Parents have complained about the book’s violent content, which includes the ghost of Sethe’s murdered child and the aftermath and trauma described after. The book has been criticized in U.S. schools for its language, sexuality and violence. It survived a 1997 challenge in Madawaska, Maine but was later banned from an AP English class in Louisville, Kentucky in 2007. In 2022 Wentzville, Missouri banned it from its high school curriculum and Rutherford County, Tennessee did the same in 2024. Regardless, it remains one of the most important literary works of the 20th century.

Where to buy this book: Penguin Random House

9. Looking for Alaska by John Green

John Green’s Looking for Alaska is a messy, emotional, sharp-edged novel centered around grief, love, sex and a desperation to reconcile or distinguish between what’s fake and real. The book follows protagonist Miles “Pudge” Halter, a teenager who tries to find meaning in life by enrolling in a boarding school. At the boarding school, he meets Alaska Young, an intriguing teen who introduces him to the wild, reckless and fast-paced side of life. According to the American Library Association, between 2010 and 2019, the book was the fourth most challenged book in the U.S. because of complaints regarding profane language, sexually explicit content and references to drugs, alcohol and smoking. Parents, school boards and community groups have led most of these challenges. Some incidents include its removal from Depew High School, New York (2008), and as required reading in Sumner County, Tennessee (2012). It was also banned in Sumner County again in 2013, topped the American Library Association’s Most Challenged Books list in 2015 and was removed from West Ada School District middle school libraries in Idaho (2016).

Where to buy this book: Penguin Random House

10. Animal Farm by George Orwell

George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one of those rare books that reads like a parable but hits like a gut punch. On the surface, it’s a simple allegory about a group of farm animals who rise up against their human oppressor in the name of equality. But by the end, it becomes a chilling study in how power corrodes ideals, how revolutions can devour their own, and how language itself can be twisted into a tool of control. It’s taught in schools as a lesson on totalitarianism, but the real reason Animal Farm continues to unsettle is because it never feels locked in the past. Every generation can point to its pigs who start walking on two legs, rewriting the rules in real time and insisting that “some are more equal than others.” Animal Farm has routinely been banned worldwide for its political themes and allegorical criticism of totalitarianism. It was banned in the Soviet Union and other communist countries for its critique of Stalinism, while in 2002, the United Arab Emirates banned it for depicting talking pigs and alcohol, which conflicted with Islamic values. In 1991, Kenya banned a Swahili-language play adaptation that criticized government corruption.

Where to buy this book: Penguin Books

11. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

George M. Johnson’s All Boys Aren’t Blue is a memoir that doesn’t ask for permission. Instead, with clarity, it chronicles the life of a Black queer boy and their journey towards becoming their authentic self when the world keeps trying to tell them not to. Through a series of searing and vulnerable essays, Johnson investigates everything from gender identity and family bonds to consent, abuse and the complex intersection of their Blackness and queerness. All Boys Aren’t Blue is the kind of book that offers language to young people who have been told, over and over again, that there isn’t space for them in the story. It gives them tools to understand themselves, and speak up. Johnson’s book has been repeatedly banned across the United States for its LGBTQIA+ content and sexually explicit passages. Parents, school boards and community groups have led these efforts, objecting to the book’s discussion around identity, sexuality and coming-of-age experiences. Notable bans include its removal from the Katy Independent School District in Texas (2022), Clay County schools in Florida (2023), and the Goddard School District in Kansas.

Where to buy this book: Macmillan Publishers

12. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone may seem like an unlikely candidate for censorship because of its cult-like following, but for decades, the classic has appeared on banned book lists across the U.S. At its core, the Harry Potter series isn’t only about spells or flying brooms. It also questions authority, looks at the power of friendship and has characters who gather the courage to choose what’s right over what’s convenient. Most importantly, the book is about a kid who grows up ignored and unloved but finally discovers not just that he belongs to a magical world but that he matters in that world. Since its release in 1997, the book has become part of a multi-billion-dollar franchise. But cultural impact aside, Sorcerer’s Stone has had a quieter, more personal impact on readers, especially young ones, who saw pieces of themselves in Harry’s loneliness, Hermione’s intelligence and Ron’s loyalty. The cult classic has been frowned upon globally by critics who accuse Rowling of advocating for witchcraft, disobedience and magic since its release in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Schools in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania have withdrawn the works from their libraries and curriculum. Parents, religious groups and school boards have led similar initiatives in the UK and other countries.

Where to buy this book: Barnes & Noble

13. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give opens with a moment that feels all too familiar: a Black teenager shot by police, a community in mourning and a young girl, Starr Carter, forced into the center of a national conversation she never asked to be a part of. Angie Thomas writes the novel with urgency and grace, infusing it with the language and tensions of non-fictional reality. The book has faced repeated challenges and bans across the United States since its 2017 release, mainly because of its language, themes of race and depictions of police brutality. Parents, school boards and even law enforcement organizations have led these efforts, objecting to its portrayal of police violence and its discussion around systemic racism. Specific bans include removal from curriculums in Katy, Texas; restrictions in Florida schools; challenges in Illinois districts and removals from libraries in South Carolina. Regardless, the novel remains a critically acclaimed work that continues to spark important conversations. The book refuses to tolerate caricature and instead leans into lived reality by looking at families, neighborhoods and friendships in full color. And in that, Thomas gives readers something that’s often missing from modern literary conversations: nuance.

Where to buy this book: HarperCollins Publishers

14. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley’s A Brave New World has been both celebrated and censored since its publication in 1932. This classic dystopian novel has faced bans in schools and libraries worldwide for its candid social commentary on the potential cost of utopia. In Huxley’s imagined world, the government rules through genetic engineering, psychological conditioning and censorship to maintain order. Citizens are conditioned from birth to conform to a hedonistic lifestyle without any sense of genuine emotion, morality or individuality. The government offers its people a constant stream of sensory pleasures including endless entertainment, mind-numbing drugs like soma, and genetically engineered social stability. Ireland initially outlawed the book, and its political content sparked controversy in the United States, India and Australia. The book was also banned in schools across the U.S., including Alabama, California, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, Maryland and Texas.

Where to buy this book: Harper Collins Publishers

15. This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki

Few books are able to successfully capture the aching, electric tension of adolescence quite like This One Summer. Mariko Tamaki and Jillian Tamaki’s graphic novel transports readers to Awago Beach, where two girls, Rose and Windy, navigate the confusing transition between childhood and adulthood. But beyond its lush illustrations and razor-sharp storytelling, This One Summer has become one of the most frequently banned books in America. The reasons for the bans are as layered as the story itself. School districts and libraries have frowned upon This One Summer for its depiction of sexuality, mental health struggles and family conflict. The presence of LGBTQ+ characters has drawn particular scrutiny, with critics arguing that such representation is “inappropriate” for young readers, an objection that reveals more about entrenched biases than about the book’s content. Notable bans include the removal of the book from Orange County Public Schools in Florida (2024), Katy Independent School District in Texas (2022), challenges faced in North Penn School District, Pennsylvania (2017) and Waukesha School District, Wisconsin (2016).

Where to buy this book: Macmillan Publishers

16. Forever by Judy Blume

Judy Blume’s Forever is both a novel and a rite of passage that examines fleeting teenage love, sexuality and first experiences. The story follows Katherine, a high school senior who enters into an intimate relationship with Michael, a boy she meets at a New Year’s Eve party. Blume writes with her signature honesty while also breaking down what so many young readers have felt but have rarely seen reflected in fiction: desire, confusion, vulnerability and the bittersweet fact that not all first loves lasts forever. But Forever has been banned repeatedly in schools and libraries and condemned for its discussion of sex, contraception and teen relationships. For some critics, Blume’s refusal to look at adolescent sex from the perspective of shame or morality has been problematic. Since its release in the late 1970s, parents, school boards, religious groups and conservative organizations have objected to its explicit content, which has led to frequent challenges in states like Florida, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and Texas.

Where to buy this book: Barnes & Noble

17. People Kill People by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins’ People Kill People is an unsettling, kaleidoscopic look at violence in America. Through six intertwined perspectives, Hopkins shows readers how anger, fear, trauma and prejudice can escalate to deadly decisions. Hopkins writes the book in her trademark free verse while holding up a mirror to a society that is often unwilling to confront its darkest impulses. Hopkins does not offer easy answers, and there are no clear heroes, villains or neat conclusions. Instead, she forces readers to confront the uncomfortable truth: violence is not a hidden monster but rather a human choice shaped by decisions, biases and circumstances. Since its release. The book’s raw approach to issues like gun violence, racial tension, domestic abuse and mental health has made it a target for bans. Book critics have argued that the themes in the book are too graphic and too dark for its intended young audience. The book was banned in states like Utah, Texas and Virginia shortly after its release and some schools and libraries removed it from their reading collections. Despite ongoing censorship efforts, People Kill People remains a provocative exploration of violence, choice and consequence in American society.

Where to buy this book: Barnes & Noble

18. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The coming-of-age book The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky doubles as a diary for any young person who has ever felt invisible or lost. The book is written from the point of view of a series of letters from Charlie, an intuitive teenage observer of life from the sidelines who also yearns to participate. As Charlie goes through high school, first loves, new friendships and family secrets, his letters expose a world of quiet suffering, fragile joy and unfiltered emotion. Apart from its cult status as a beloved young adult novel, The Perks of Being a Wallflower has been the subject of frequent censorship. School districts and libraries have banned the book for discussing drug use, mental health struggles, sexual orientation and trauma, scenes that some argue are too graphic for young readers. In 2018, the book was removed from a school district in Illinois following complaints from parents and was also impugned in the Spokane School District in Washington, but ultimately it was retained. A Texas school library also removed the book in 2022. Despite these bans, it remains a widely read adolescent-centered book, offering an honest and empathetic perspective on what it feels like to go through life as a young person feeling like the “other.”

Where to buy this book: Simon & Schuster

19. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland is one of literature’s most enduring global classics, yet this story of a young girl’s fantasy journey has faced surprising resistance throughout its history. The novel’s quirky plot, which portrays playing card royalty, a philosophical caterpillar and a tea-drinking hare, is part of what has made it appealing to a broad range of readers all over the world, but not everyone has been fascinated by the book. In 1931, officials in Hunan Province, China banned the book entirely because of its portrayal of animals using human language. The governor general at the time said that putting animals on equal footing with humans was “disastrous” to the social order. In the U.S., some school districts have routinely flagged the book, citing concerns about its surreal elements and perceived drug references, from the hookah-smoking Caterpillar to the mysterious substances Alice consumes that alter her size. There have also been concerns that the story alludes to covert sexual innuendos.

Where to buy this book: Simon & Schuster

20. Sold by Patricia McCormick

Though this book offers a sobering account of the horrors of human trafficking, Patricia McCormick’s Sold also tells of incredible resilience and grit. The book centers on Lakshmi, a small child from a poor Nepalese hamlet who is sold by her stepfather into sexual slavery for a few rupees. Writing in simple, beautiful vignettes, McCormick deftly and compassionately captures Lakshmi’s gutting story honestly, but she never reduces her to a victim. In McCormick’s world, Lakshmi is a little child driven into the world of an adult but who remains very much alive. McCormick portrays Lakshmi’s pain, but she also shows her little acts of defiance, her whispered prayers and her times of laughing with other girls imprisoned in the same trap. Despite its important message, Sold was among 35 books tabbed by a parent in the Council Rock School District in Pennsylvania for sexually charged content in 2023; in February 2024, the Blackhawk Area School District, also in Pennsylvania, banned 10 books including Sold at the request of two Moms for Liberty members serving on the board because the books were objectionable to their “values or fundamental religious beliefs.”

Where to buy this book: Hachette Book Group

21. Ulysses by James Joyce

James Joyce’s Ulysses is a bold masterwork of modernist writing that sees him create a vignette of thinking, memory, desire and identity in a way that challenges the traditional book in style and substance. The book is centered around a single day, June 16, 1904, in the lives of three characters. By using the stream-of-consciousness viewpoints of these three characters, Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom and Molly Bloom, Joyce is able to change the flatness of daily life into a modern-day epic. His technique in Ulysses was was brilliant but controversial. After the book was first published in serial form between 1918-1920 and as a complete novel in 1922, it was swiftly banned in the United States and Britain for its strong sexual nature, blasphemy and perceived immorality. Copies of the book were seized and destroyed by the U.S. Post Office in 1921, and following a string of court cases, the historic 1933 ruling in United States v. One Book Called Ulysses decided that the book was a work of art rather than obscenity. Critics of Joyce observed his work as disorganized and his topic as unethical. These days, Ulysses is not only an international classic but also evidence of the power and right to free expression over restriction.

Where to buy this book: Barnes & Noble

Bottom Line

Famous banned books are cultural flashpoints that push us to think critically about the harms, experiences and consequences of our human experiences. Banned books inspire meaningful conversations around morality, identity and freedom of expression. They also force us to pause, pay attention and notice our evolving values and the importance of paradigm-shifting literature.