Banned Books

This guide has information on books that have been challenged or censored in the United States.

A Brief History of Banned Books in America

Books about Banned Books

Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is usually the last week in September and is intended to raise awareness of censorship and celebrate the freedom to read. 

Banned Websites Awareness Day is the usually the Wednesday of Banned Books Week and is intended to raise the awareness of website filtering software that is used on many public computers.

American Library Association Links

The American Library Association offers these excellent web sites on banned books:

Articles about Banned Books

To see articles and essays written about why certain books were banned, search these databases. For best results, type in the name of your book. You can use the word "and" to add a second search term, such as racism, violence, etc. You can also add these search terms:

  • challenged, or
  • truncate it to challeng*, or
  • use several synonyms, such as: challenged or prohibited or censorship or banned or
  • truncate those: use several synonyms, such as: challenge* or prohibit* or censor* or bann*

Examples of Banned Books

Accessibility Statement