LibGuides: Banned Books: Frequently Challenged Books

THE best resource for BBW

Banned Books Week One Stop Shop
Banned Books Week 2024 will be held September 22-28. The theme of this year’s event is “Freed Between the Lines.”

By focusing on efforts across the country to remove or restrict access to books, Banned Books Week draws national attention to the harms of censorship. The ALA Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) compiles lists of challenged books as reported in the media and submitted by librarians and teachers across the country

Most Commonly Banned Books

Some books have been repeatedly banned or challenged throughout history. This is a list of books that appear the most often on banned books lists and are available on Sora.

1984 by George Orwell
Reason: pro-communism ideas, sexuality
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Reason: racism
The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger
Reasons: offensive language, unsuited for certain age groups
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for certain age groups
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
Reasons: reference to drugs, sexuality, and profanity
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Reason: sexually explicit
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Reason: profanity, sexuality, racial slurs, and excessive violence
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Reasons: offensive language, racism, violence
One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey
Reasons: profanity, unsavory theme, sexuality, and racism
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Reasons: offensive language; racism