With all of the controversy surrounding the banning of books in school districts, I have felt that it is important to make sure as many banned books are available to customers as I possibly can. These new books I tried to get in different formats or editions that I thought would be fun for my customers and maybe some books they had not previously heard of.
Make sure to check out these banned books:
1. The Hand Maids Tale by Margaret Atwood : Banned for sexual violence, and heavy distrust of religion. Margaret Atwood constantly points out that nothing in the book that happens to women, hasn't already happened in history to women, making this book even more chilling. The graphic novel edition is currently available in my shop
2. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: Banned for overt racism, racial slurs, making people uncomfortable and white saviorism. Some of the best books though make us sit in our own uncomfort and show us the worst sides of ourselves. The graphic novel edition is available in my shop now.
3. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas : Banned for police brutality, entrenched racial prejudice, and sexual content. This book is so important to helping young people understand complex current events in the United States. The Collector's Edition is now available in my shop.
4. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini : Banned for sexual violence, and the thought that it "promoted Islam" and "led to terrorism". Cue me rolling my eyes here. The Kite Runner is possible one of my favorite novels for its beautifully woven story of friendship, betrayal and redemption. The graphic novel is now available in my shop!
5. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck : Banned for language, sexual overtones, depressing theme, racist language "leading to racist behavior", and the portrayal of Jesus Christ. This short classic offers the reality of the midwest in the depression era of the US. The small Penguin classics edition is available in my shop.
6. Something Happened in Our Town by Marianne Celano, Marietta Collins, and Ann Hazzard, illustrated by Jennifer Zivoin : Banned for "divisive language" and portrayal of police officers. This picture book offers a great story about racial injustice for younger children. Now available in my shop.
7. George by Alex Gino: the top most challenged, banned and restricted book of 2020 for for LGBTQIA+ content, conflicting with a religious viewpoint, and not reflecting “the values of our community”. This is the story of a girl named George who knows she is a girl on the inside, but everyone else things she is a boy because of how she looks on the outside. This is a truly important story for our transgender youth. Hardback copy now available in my shop.
8.Prince & Knight by Daniel Haack, illustrated by Stevie Lewis : Banned for featuring gay marriage, and for being a "direct attempt to indoctrinated young children". This adorable picture book is a fun take on the normal fairytale in which the Prince would rather marry the Knight than the Princess. Hardcover now available in my shop.
9. And Tango Makes Three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson illustrated by Henry Cole : banned for anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”. This award winning penguin story is adorable and I highly recommend this audio CD version since it is narrated by Neil Patrick Harris.
10. The 1619 Project: Born on the Water - This *technically* isn't on the ALA top banned books list, but I believe it will be for 2021 or 2022 because of its title. There are many states that have banned anything that talks about the 1619 project in schools and for that reason this book doesn't even have a chance of being put on school library shelves. Hardcover was released in November 2021 and is now available.
For more challenged book lists and banned book lists, please visit the ALA website here.
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