In the world of literature, where words have the power to ignite minds, challenge beliefs, and shape the future, the battle against book bans has never been more critical.
Authors like Tiffany D. Jackson, known for her powerful young adult novel Monday’s Not Coming, have felt the sting of censorship firsthand. Jackson has seen her work banned in many areas and has shared her anguish, saying, “It’s very painful to have people say your books are corrupting children when your whole life’s mission is to uplift and empower Black girls. I try to focus on the stories. But I’m still licking my wounds.”
Jason Mott, the author of Hell of a Book, a title that won the 2021 National Book Award for fiction, sheds light on the recent surge in book banning. “I feel like the recent wave of book banning is a response to the events of the summer of 2020, marked by widespread protests and activism following the death of George Floyd. The demographic who was not a fan of 2020 reacted by banning books and trying to quiet the voices that suddenly got so loud. But banning books will not make racial complexities and the world’s complexities disappear; instead, it erodes compassion and understanding. We all want to protect our children. We all want to keep them safe. Part of doing that is keeping the world populated by books that reflect them all.”
Nicola Yoon, author of bestsellers like Everything and The Sun Is Also a Star underscores the transformative potential of literature. She believes that books breed understanding and empathy. Yoon explains, “You can’t spend 300 pages in someone’s head and hate them. It is hard to hate what you understand. As artists, I think we have to keep writing respectful, truthful literature. Dictators and strong men burn books because books have ideas and the power to change the world. I want to be a part of that change.”
Kimberly L. Jones, the author of I’m Not Dying with You Tonight and How We Can Win, is part of a collective of 1,300 authors who have called upon Congress to defend the richness of literature. Jones says, “There is a misconception that these books radicalize children or erode the self-esteem of white children. That thinking is uninformed. These books nurture empathy in kids who are reading about people who don’t look like them. They build understanding.”
The issue of book banning has resurfaced with renewed vigor. More than 1,600 books were banned in 138 school districts across 32 states between 2021 and 2022, according to a report by PEN America. The vast majority of challenged and banned books feature BIPOC or LGBTQ+ characters, discuss gender, sexuality, and race in America, or are written by Black and POC authors. In addition to this, an “anti-woke” agenda has emerged, aiming to suppress and censor discussions of Black history and silence the voices of Black writers and educators.
Banned Books Week (October 1-7, 2023) is an opportunity to resist attempts to suppress books written by Black authors and diverse voices. Banned Books Week celebrates the freedom to read, promotes titles that have been banned or restricted, and raises awareness about censorship. This event is especially important now.
The resurgence in book banning has been fueled by debates over critical race theory and efforts to censor discussions of Black history and racial justice in schools. It reflects a broader “anti-woke” agenda to suppress the stories and voices of Black writers and educators, with award-winning books like The Color Purple and The Hate U Give among those banned from libraries and academic curricula.
Supporting banned books and their authors is vital in the fight against censorship. Literature has the power to inspire, educate, and promote empathy and understanding. By protecting freedom of thought, we ensure that readers of all backgrounds can see themselves reflected on the page.
Join the fight!
Support Black authors and those challenging the status quo by buying banned books. Here is a list of more than 40 banned books to check out:
- Angela Davis: An Autobiography, by Angela Davis
- Between the World and Me, by Ta-Nehisi Coates
- Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy by Heather Ann Thompson
- The Breakaways by Cathy G. Johnson
- Flamer by Mike Curato
- Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain (editors)
- Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe
- Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
- Girls Like Us by Gail Giles
- A Good Kind of Trouble by Lisa Moore Ramée
- Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneeman
- How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
- How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi
- In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado
- Jack of Hearts (and Other Parts) by L.C. Rosen
- Just Another Hero (Jericho Series, book 3) by Sharon Draper
- King and the Dragonflies by Kacen Callender
- Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
- Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison
- Losing the Girl (Life on Earth series, book 1) by Mari Naomi
- Lucky by Alice Sebold
- Michelle Obama: Political Icon by Heather E. Schwartz
- Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
- Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
- My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
- New Kid and Class Act (series) by Jerry Craft
- None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio
- The Nowhere Girls by Amy Lynn Reed
- Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez
- The Popularity Papers series by Amy Ignatow
- Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson
- Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward
- Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
- A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard
- To Be Perfectly Honest: A Novel Based on an Untrue Story by Sonya Sones
- Weird Girl and What’s His Name by Meagan Brothers
- What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold
- White Bird by R.J. Palacio
- Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany L. Browne, Elizabeth Acevedo, et al.
- The 1619 Project by Nikole Hannah-Jones and the NY Times Magazine
- The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
- Allegedly, Tiffany D. Jackson
- Dear Martin, Nic Stone
- Monday’s Not Coming, Tiffany D. Jackson
- More Happy Than Not, Adam Silvera
