Why Read Banned Books?
Throughout America’s history, literature has been contested and banned across the nation, for countless reasons. Spanning from religious opinions to “inappropriate” content, books have been banned from libraries, schools, English classes, and even, in some extreme cases, in bookstores, where they’re not allowed to be sold at all. It is important to read these kinds of books because not only will you get a scope of all the different viewpoints out there in our world, but you will ensure that your education is dictated by no one other than yourself. So, here are some banned book recommendations, with a short synopsis and reasons for why they were banned.
Easier Reads:
Looking For Alaska by John Green: (claims of being too explicit) This is a heartwarming story about Miles “Pudge” Halter, who leaves home for a boarding school, looking for a more exciting life, where he meets the mysterious Alaska Young. After her sudden death, he and his friends are forced to reckon with grief and guilt.
Me and Early and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews: (explicitness and profanity) This book follows Greg Gaines, a high school senior who loves to make film parodies with his best friend Earl. Greg’s mom forces him to become friends with Rachel, a girl in his school recently diagnosed with leukemia. The story follows them as they discover the true meaning of human connection.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: (explicitness, profanity, drug use, LGBTQ+ content, depiction of sexual assault) This is a coming-of-age story about Charlie, an observant boy going through his first year of high school in which he comes out of his shell while having to deal with repressed memories of abuse and an old friend’s suicide.
Harder Reads:
Sold by Patricia McCormick: (depiction of sexual assault, explicit, “trigerring”) This book is a story of Lakshmi, a poor girl in Nepal. After a disaster kills her family’s crops, her stepfather sells her off to prostitution to support her family. An old woman, Mumtaz, runs the place cruelly, and cheats Lakshmi out of her meager earnings so she can never leave. We follow her as she ponders her life and the possibilities of a better future.
The Giver by Lois Lowry: (sexual content, violence, drug use, infanticide, euthanasia, and suicide) This story follows Jonas, a boy living in a society where everybody’s life is extremely controlled, down to their emotions. No one asks questions, jobs and spouses are assigned, and only some women are allowed to give birth. Jonas is assigned the job of Receiver of Memories, in which he learns the truth about society before this community, and has to decide how to move forward now that he knows the truth.
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: (sexual violence, could “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam”) This story follows a risky friendship between a rich boy, Amir, and the son of his father’s servant, Hassan, in Afghanistan during the country’s fall to the Taliban. After a tragic event, Amir frames Hassan for theft, and Hassan and his father are forced to leave for America. Then, years later, Hassan’s father calls Amir in distress, forcing Amir to help Hassan’s family as he deals with remaining guilt from many years ago.
One Last Message
Many of these books were banned in the past during times where some of the themes they contain were not socially acceptable, and therefore were thought to not be appropriate, especially for younger audiences. As you journey through these wonderful banned books, ponder over why they were banned and if you believe these books should truly have been banned from readers like you. Enjoy your reading!
Love, Bruna
GFB Ambassador
