The Archive · Banned Books
Banned Books
What was suppressed, where, and why.
Books currently banned, restricted, or removed from American schools, libraries, and government buildings. The Ledger documents what was suppressed, where, and why.
30 books documented · 945 jurisdictions · 5+ years of bans
The catalog · sorted by ban intensity
Most-banned first. On each book page, previous and next step through the catalog by first ban year instead.
Banned 1970-2025 · 116 jurisdictionsThe Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
Banned 2021-2025 · 86 jurisdictionsAll Boys Aren't Blue
George M. Johnson
Banned 1990-2025 · 77 jurisdictionsBeloved
Toni Morrison
Banned 2017-2025 · 65 jurisdictionsThe Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
Banned 2020-2025 · 54 jurisdictionsStamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds
Banned 2021-2025 · 47 jurisdictionsThe 1619 Project: A New Origin Story
Nikole Hannah-Jones
Banned 2015-2025 · 41 jurisdictionsBetween the World and Me
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Banned 2020-2025 · 32 jurisdictionsHow to Be an Antiracist
Ibram X. Kendi
Banned 2020-2025 · 28 jurisdictionsStamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
Ibram X. Kendi
Banned 2018-2025 · 24 jurisdictionsDear Martin
Nic Stone
Banned 2019-2025 · 22 jurisdictionsThe Poet X
Elizabeth Acevedo
Banned 2021-2024 · 18 jurisdictionsGhost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes
Banned 1970-2025 · 39 jurisdictionsI Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
Banned 1984-2025 · 33 jurisdictionsThe Color Purple
Alice Walker
Banned 1980-2025 · 26 jurisdictionsRoll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Mildred D. Taylor
Banned 1940-2025 · 23 jurisdictionsNative Son
Richard Wright
Banned 1990-2025 · 19 jurisdictionsTheir Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
Banned 1945-2025 · 17 jurisdictionsBlack Boy
Richard Wright
Banned 1990-2025 · 16 jurisdictionsSong of Solomon
Toni Morrison
Banned 1952-2025 · 14 jurisdictionsInvisible Man
Ralph Ellison
Banned 1963-2025 · 14 jurisdictionsThe Fire Next Time
James Baldwin
Banned 2020-2025 · 13 jurisdictionsBrown Girl Dreaming
Jacqueline Woodson
Banned 1980-2025 · 11 jurisdictionsRoots: The Saga of an American Family
Alex Haley
Banned 1953-2020 · 9 jurisdictionsGo Tell It on the Mountain
James Baldwin
Banned 2018-2025 · 21 jurisdictionsThe New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
Michelle Alexander
Banned 2020-2025 · 19 jurisdictionsJust Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
Bryan Stevenson
Banned 2019-2025 · 18 jurisdictionsLong Way Down
Jason Reynolds
Banned 2021-2025 · 16 jurisdictionsCaste: The Origins of Our Discontents
Isabel Wilkerson
Banned 2021-2025 · 14 jurisdictionsNew Kid
Jerry Craft
Banned 1965-2025 · 13 jurisdictionsThe Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X and Alex Haley
Book covers via Open Library. Editorial use under fair use.