The school superintendent of Spotsylvania County, Virginia, ordered high school librarians to pull 14 titles off shelves earlier this year. This comes after two school board members said in 2021 that explicit books should be burned.
As school officials and parents in several U.S. school districts question what’s appropriate for children and teenagers to read, Superintendent Mark Taylor cut high schoolers’ access to two Toni Morrison novels and several books telling the stories of LGBTQ+ people, people of color and those struggling with mental illness.
NBC Washington took a close look at what’s in the books — as the ACLU says they belong back on shelves.
Recent book bans have often targeted narratives about people of color and members of the LGBTQ+ community, said Regan McMahon of Common Sense Media. The group is a nonprofit that aims to inform families about the content of movies, video games and books.
We've got the news you need to know to start your day. Sign up for the First & 4Most morning newsletter — delivered to your inbox daily. >Sign up here.
"It's not an equal-opportunity banning," McMahon said.
For children of color who have experienced racism, for girls who have been sexually harassed or assaulted, and for LGBTQ+ teens who have experienced homophobia, seeing their stories on the page can mean a lot.
For kids who have experienced difficult or even traumatizing things, reading a story in which a fictional character makes it through that problem can be really helpful, because "if they can see somebody on the page going through what they're going through... it helps them process their own experience, especially if it's a negative experience," McMahon said.
For kids who haven't experienced those difficulties, reading about them can build empathy, she added.
“Empathy is a very good thing, and we need more of it," McMahon said.
Read on as we dig into what’s in the books pulled from school shelves in Spotsylvania County.
1. 'All Boys Aren’t Blue: A Memoir-Manifesto' by George Johnson
"All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson is a series of personal essays by the nonbinary journalist, writer and activist.
This book, published in 2020, explores Johnson's experience growing up as gay and Black in New Jersey and Virginia, touching on "gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy," according to its publisher.
There are at least two autobiographical stories Johnson tells about sexual encounters; one is about the first time he consensually had sex with another person, and the other is about someone who sexually assaulted him when he was 13 years old, according to Common Sense's analysis of the book's content. Masturbation and condoms are also discussed.
The book won numerous awards, including listings as Amazon's best book of the year and recommendations by Teen Vogue, Buzzfeed and People. It was also a New York Times bestseller.
In 2021, it was on the American Library Association’s list of most frequently challenged books, and was "banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content, profanity, and because it was considered to be sexually explicit," according to the ALA.
In 2022, it was the second most banned and challenged book in the U.S., according to the ALA, due to "LGBTQIA+ content" and because it was "claimed to be sexually explicit."
2. 'Like a Love Story' by Abdi Nazemian
“Like a Love Story” by Abdi Nazemian is a novel that follows the story of three teenagers in New York City in 1989, during the AIDS crisis. Reza, an Iranian immigrant who is terrified of others finding out he is gay, begins dating his friend Judy. But he quickly begins to fall for Judy’s friend Art, the only out teenager at their school. Soon, Reza is forced to find a way out of the situation without breaking his closest friend’s heart.
There are a number of discussions about sex and STDs, as Reza overcomes his own fears about contracting HIV, according to Common Sense's analysis. Art and Reza begin dating and have sex.
The book, published in 2020, was a Stonewall Honor Book and a Time Magazine Best YA Book of All Time, according to publisher Balzer + Bray, an imprint of Harper Collins.
In an interview with Teach for America last June, Nazemian shared that the book is "emotionally autobiographical," even though the plot is fiction and not the same as his own experience as a gay immigrant from Iran.
The increase in bans on stories about the experiences of LGBTQ people, immigrants and people of color "breaks my heart," he said.
"Just recently, I read an article about a school board meeting where parents read passages from 'Like a Love Story' to prove it wasn’t fit for inclusion in school libraries," he said. "The message this sends is that being gay isn’t fit for inclusion in schools. That it’s shameful and must be eradicated."
3. 'Dime' by E.R. Frank
“Dime” by E.R. Frank is a novel that follows the story of a teenage girl named Dime as she gets gradually pulled from the foster care system into teen prostitution. Desperate for a family, she doesn’t realize that her “daddy” is forcing her to earn her place until it’s too late.
There are several scenes in which Dime is in sexual situations, often with adult men despite the fact that she is a teenager, according to Common Sense's analysis. Two victims of sex trafficking in the book are raped, and there is extensive discussion of child pornography and child prostitution. Neither the sex nor the violence is depicted graphically, according to Common Sense.
The book was written by a clinical social worker and psychotherapist, and published in 2016 by Simon and Schuster. It was nominated for the Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers and was a New York Public Library Best Book for Teens.
The book was not on any of the ALA's lists for most banned or challenged books. It was banned in the Indian River County School District in Florida during the 2021-2022 school year, according to PEN America's index of book bans.
4. 'America' by E.R. Frank
"America," also by E.R. Frank, is a novel that follows a teenager named America through his time in the foster care system, where he was subjected to sexual abuse, and during his time in a psychiatric hospital after a suicide attempt.
The story is told through flashbacks inserted during America's time in the hospital, as he starts to open up to a counselor there, according to the summary and reviews on Goodreads' page for the novel.
First published in 2015, the book was a Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee and a German Youth Literature Award Nominee, according to publisher Simon and Schuster.
The book was not on any of the ALA's lists of most banned or challenged books.
When asked by the Fredericksburg Free Lance-Star in May 2022 how she would respond to parents who believe "America" is unsuitable for high school libraries, Frank said, "I would explain that literature provides both windows and mirrors to readers. Windows allow us to see and feel the experiences of others with which we are unfamiliar. Even though we have a glimpse into a life that is filled with or touched by upsetting or confusing events, we are enriched by the curiosity and empathy a well-written window provides us."
5. 'Out of Darkness' by Ashley Hope Perez
"Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez is a novel that follows the Romeo-and-Juliet romance between Naomi Vargas, who is Mexican American, and Wash Fuller, who is Black, in segregated 1930s Texas.
As the protagonists fall in love, their relationship progresses to oral sex, according to Common Sense's analysis. A young woman is raped, and a woman remembers being molested as a child. There is also a scene in which a group of white teenage boys harass Naomi, and one of the passages in that scene references anal sex — which prompted one woman to confront the school board in Lake Travis, Texas, and push for the book to be removed from school libraries.
The book, published in 2015, was a Printz Honor Book, a Booklist 50 Best YA Books of All Time selection, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, and the winner of the Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award, according to publisher Holiday House.
In 2021, it was on the ALA’s list of most frequently challenged books, and was frequently "banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit," according to the ALA.
In 2022, it was the ninth most banned or challenged book in the U.S., according to the ALA, because it was claimed to be sexually explicit. According to PEN America, it was one of the most frequently banned books in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 school year, and Perez was one of the most frequently banned authors.
"I think the reason that Out of Darkness has attracted controversy or become a target for book banning has to do with adult discomfort," Perez is quoted as saying in the PEN America report. "There's a clear line from adults being afraid to have certain conversations with young people, being afraid to have their values questioned, for example, to efforts to control content that young people are accessing."
"And what we know about young people is that they are ready to have these conversations. When we take away the books that hold space for those difficult conversations, we're really taking away the resources young people need to navigate realities they have to confront, whether or not that book is there."
6. 'Beloved' by Toni Morrison
“Beloved” by Toni Morrison is a novel about a formerly enslaved woman, Sethe, who escaped to Ohio and is haunted by her past. Sethe is also haunted by a ghost, who she believes is the nameless daughter she killed to prevent her enslavement.
The ghost, known only as Beloved, appears to get older over the course of the novel, and at one point the book contains a scene where Beloved seduces and has sex with Sethe's husband, and another scene where one character is forced to perform oral sex on another, according to Common Sense's analysis.
First published in 1987, the book is a New York Times bestseller and won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 along with the rest of Morrison’s body of work. It is considered a classic.
The book has been challenged and banned for multiple decades, and was the 45th most banned book on the ALA's "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books" list for 2010-2019. It was 26th on the list for 2000-2009, and 45th on the list for 1990-1999.
7. 'The Bluest Eye' by Toni Morrison
"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison is a novel that follows 11-year-old Pecola Breedlove, a Black girl growing up in Ohio in 1941. The title comes from Pecola's wish to have blue eyes, to escape being called "ugly" for her dark skin. The novel focuses on the racism and tragedy that fuel Pecola's longing to look different.
The book contains a scene in which Pecola is raped by her father when he is drunk, according to Common Sense's analysis. The book depicts prostitutes, and there are scenes in which characters discuss sex or have consensual sex.
The book, first published in 1970 by Holt, Reinhardt and Winston, is considered a classic. It won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993 along with the rest of Morrison’s body of work, and is a national bestseller.
The book has been challenged and banned for multiple decades, and was the 10th most-banned book on the ALA's "Top 100 Most Banned and Challenged Books" list for 2010-2019. It was 15th on the list for 2000-2009, and 34th on the list for 1990-1999. In 2021, the book was on the American Library Association’s list of most frequently challenged books, and was frequently "banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit," according to the ALA.
In 2022, the book was the third most banned and challenged book in the U.S., according to the ALA, because of its depiction of sexual abuse, because it was claimed to be sexually explicit, and because of "EDI content" —meaning equity, diversity and inclusion content.
Toni Morrison, in an interview with NPR in 2009 10 years before her death in 2019, said, "I was talking earlier to someone about my own books being banned. I, probably, am a little silly, perhaps about the banning of my books. Because A, I know the students can get the book whether it's banned or not, B, I also know that it raises the profile of the banned book, and gives it sort of a push that it didn't have before. It's almost exotic."
8. 'Looking for Alaska' by John Green
"Looking for Alaska" by John Green is a coming-of-age novel about a teenage boy, Miles "Pudge" Halter, as he leaves his comfortable home with his family to attend boarding school. He and his friends, including the mysterious Alaska Young, have fun and cause trouble as they drink, smoke, and prank the other students — until a tragedy divides their lives into "before" and "after."
Published in 2005, the book is a Printz Honor Book, a Top 10 ALA Best Book for Young Adults, a Booklist Editors’ Choice selection, a Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year, an SLJ Best Book of the Year, a Chicago Public Library Best of the Best, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, according to publisher Penguin Random House.
"Looking for Alaska" was the fourth most banned or challenged book from 2010 to 2019, according to the ALA, and was the most challenged book in the U.S. in 2015. The most common reasons listed for the challenge at those times, according to the ALA, were that it contained offensive language, was sexually explicit, and was "unsuited for age group." According to PEN America, the book was one of the most frequently banned titles in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 school year. Green was also one of the most frequently banned authors, according to the same report.
In 2022, it was tied with "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky for the position of fifth most challenged book in the U.S., according to the ALA. The reasons most frequently given for the 2022 challenges were that it was sexually explicit, and contained LGBTQIA+ content.
Notably, the book does not contain any explicitly gay characters. A 2019 Hulu miniseries adaptation of the story added to the backstory of a male teacher, giving him a life partner who died during the AIDS crisis — but that storyline is not in the original text.
The book does contain several scenes where characters discuss sex and pornography, and make references to masturbation. There are also descriptions of heavy kissing, according to Common Sense's analysis.
Another oft-cited reason for attempted bans is a scene in which one teenage character performs oral sex on another teenage character.
“The whole reason that scene in question exists in 'Looking for Alaska' is because I wanted to draw a contrast between that scene, when there is a lot of physical intimacy, but it is ultimately very emotionally empty, and the scene that immediately follows it, when there is not a serious physical interaction, but there’s this intense emotional connection,” Green said in a 2008 video discussing similar bans on his book.
Green has spoken out against book bans several times, most recently in a video posted to his TikTok account.
"Lots of people have been trying to ban my books, 'Looking for Alaska' and 'The Fault in Our Stars' especially because of their purported obscenity," Green said, noting in particular a law in Utah saying that any books parents "find to have indecent or pornographic content, have to be removed from school libraries."
"I don't know how much you know about the experience of being a person on Earth, but my God it contains a lot of indecency," Green said.
9. 'The Perks of Being a Wallflower' by Stephen Chbosky
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky is a coming-of-age novel following Charlie, a shy and quiet teenage boy. The book takes the form of letters Charlie writes to an unknown "friend" as he tries to grapple with his own experiences and the beginning of high school. Charlie's aunt has recently died, his only friend from middle school died by suicide, and a number of his friends and family members are going through problems of their own — and he's struggling to make sense of it all.
Published in 1999, the book was number one on the New York Times bestseller list for over a year, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults in 2000, and was a Best Book for Reluctant Readers in 2000, according to publisher Simon & Schuster.
"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" was the 14th most banned or challenged book for the entire decade from 2010 to 2019, according to the ALA, and was the 10th most banned or challenged book for the entire decade from 2000 to 2009. In 2022, it was tied with "Looking for Alaska" by John Green for the position of fifth most challenged book in the U.S., according to the ALA. The reasons most frequently given for the 2022 challenges were that it is sexually explicit, that it contains LGBTQIA+ content, and that it depicts sexual abuse, drugs, and profanity.
In a 2015 interview with the Associated Press, Chbosky said that there's a particular passage, where Charlie witnesses a date rape, that watchdog groups often quote out of context when saying his book is sexually explicit.
"I always find it so strange that they do because so often in the past people would say that passage is meant to titillate," Chbosky said in a phone interview about the book's removal from a Connecticut class's curriculum. "My response has always been rape is violence, not sex, so how can it possibly titillate anybody? If it does, then that warrants a much larger discussion than a book."
10. 'Water for Elephants' by Sara Gruen
"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen is a novel following Jacob Janowski, a veterinary student who drops out and runs away after learning his parents were killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless and alone during the Great Depression.
He begins train hopping and eventually joins a circus to take care of the animals, befriending the abusive equestrian director August and his wife, Marlena. When Jacob and Marlena fall in love — and end up having sex, with Marlena becoming pregnant — they are forced to confront August's rage, which threatens them and the animals.
Published in 2007, the book has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, according to publisher Workman. It was also a No. 1 New York Times bestseller, a No. 1 LA Times bestseller, a Wall Street Journal bestseller, and won an Alex Award in 2007.
"Water for Elephants" is not on the ALA's lists of frequently banned or challenged books for the decades between 2010-2019 or 2000-2009. According to Marshall University, the book was removed from a spring break elective course at the Bedford, New Hampshire school district in 2011 and 2012, after a parent complained about sexual content.
The book was also one of over 100 books that received a warning label from a Florida school district, telling parents that "this book has been identified by some community members as unsuitable for students," according to PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting free speech in writing.
11. 'Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe' by Preston Norton
"Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe" by Preston Norton is a fiction novel that follows Cliff Hubbard, a teenager attending high school in California, where he is bullied and nicknamed "neanderthal" because he is tall and overweight. An already miserable situation is getting worse, as his abusive father gets more angry after his older brother's suicide.
But then Aaron Zimmerman, the school's quarterback, wakes up from a coma and insists that God wants him to make the school "suck less," and insists he can only do it with Cliff's help. Cliff finally starts to feel like he belongs — and Aaron's mission eventually moves closer to home than he expected.
The book contains some sexually explicit language and references to sexual encounters, according to the summary and reviews on the book's Goodreads page.
Published in 2018, the book was an ALA 2019 Top Ten Best Fiction book for Young Adults, and was nominated for a 2018 Cybils Award, according to publisher Hachette Book Group.
"Neanderthal Opens the Door to the Universe" is not on the ALA's lists of frequently challenged books for the decades between 2010-2019 or 2000-2009. The book's presence in school libraries and classes was challenged in the Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin school district last June, according to local NBC affiliate WEAU. The school board eventually banned the book from any part of the curriculum.
12. 'More Happy Than Not' by Adam Silvera
"More Happy Than Not" by Adam Silvera is a novel that follows 16-year-old Aaron Soto in the months following his father's suicide. His overworked mother and girlfriend Genevieve are trying to help him remember what it's like to feel happy, but it's a struggle until Aaron begins spending time with Thomas, the new guy in town. With his new feelings for Thomas causing problems with Genevieve and his friends, Aaron decides to try a new memory alteration procedure — even if it means he'll forget who he really is.
The book contains references to sex, including a scene where one character tells another about their first time having oral sex, according to Common Sense's analysis.
Published in 2015, the book was a finalist for the ABA Best Young Adult Novel award, and a Los Angeles Public Library Best Teen Book of 2015, according to publisher SoHo. "More Happy Than Not" is not on any of the ALA's list of frequently challenged books. According to PEN America, Silvera was one of the most frequently banned authors in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 school year.
In March of this year, a Twitter user posted a video of someone burning Silvera's book "They Both Die at the End," saying "Your books don’t belong in kid’s schools."
In response, Silvera tweeted, "My books (and other books about queer youth) do belong in schools, and I appreciate all the librarians and educators and book fairs that make that happen. More than anything, I’m rooting for your child’s happiness and strength and freedom. I hope they don’t grow up like you."
13. 'Nineteen Minutes' by Jodi Picoult
"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult is a novel that follows a town in New Hampshire in the wake of a 19-minute-long school shooting. The most reliable witness should be Josie Cormier, the daughter of the judge overseeing the case, but she can't remember what happened. As the details of the event unfold during the trial, and in a series of flashbacks during the book, what the residents of the town and the high school think they know about each other pulls apart.
In the book, Josie's boyfriend is physically and emotionally abusive toward her, according to the summary and reviews on the Goodreads page for the novel. He manipulates her into having sex with him; as a result, she gets pregnant and later has a miscarriage. That scene prompted parent protests in a school district in Concord, New Hampshire in 2014.
"Nineteen Minutes," published in 2008, won a Lincoln Award from the Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Master List and was an Iowa High School Book Award nominee, according to publisher Simon and Schuster. The book was the 23rd most challenged book in the U.S. for the decade from 2010-2019, according to the ALA. Picoult was also one of the most frequently banned authors in the U.S. during the 2021-2022 school year, according to PEN America.
After the book was banned in a Florida school district in January 2022, Picoult expressed frustration on Twitter.
"The reason 19 Minutes is banned? Because there's a scene of date rape in it, which is completely necessary to the overall theme of bullying," Picoult said in a tweet. "Anyone who things date rape is porn has a LOT of therapy to do."
14. 'Sold' by Patricia McCormick
"Sold" by Patricia McCormick is a novel that follows Lakshmi, a 13-year-old girl who lives with her family in Nepal — until a flood washes away almost all of her family's crops, and her stepfather says she must go with a charming stranger to work in India.
The stranger takes her to a brothel, where Lakshmi learns she has been sold into prostitution, and must work until she pays off her family's debts. Since the old woman who runs the brothel takes most of her wages, that task seems impossible. But Lakshmi forms friendships with the other girls that help her survive to see a day where she may be able to escape.
Because of the subject matter of the book, there are several scenes depicting or discussing sexual assault. The scenes do not go into explicit detail, though the depiction of the consequences of the violence is sometimes graphic, according to Common Sense's analysis.
"Sold," published in 2006, was a finalist for the National Book Award, was one of NPR's Best Books of the Year, and was a New York Public Library Best Books for Teens pick, among other honors. The book was not on any of the ALA's most banned or challenged books lists. It was challenged several times in four different states during the 2021-2022 school year, according to PEN America's index of book bans.
