When they ban the book, we start the next chapter

In communities across the country, essential stories about race, history, and identity are being unjustly and unfairly banned — pulled from shelves and restricted from young minds.

These are the books that show children who they are and help them understand the world and their neighbors.

These vital voices were meant to be shared, debated, and read, not erased.

Books for Children

Picture Books, Middle Grade and Young Adult

Title Author Instagram Book Type What’s Happened
Alma and How She Got Her Name Juana Martinez-Neal @juanamartinezn Picture Book Included in PEN America’s analysis of challenged/banned titles via NEA’s list.
Each Kindness Jacqueline Woodson Picture Book Listed among Read Across America titles appearing in PEN America’s index.
Fry Bread Kevin Noble Maillard @kevinnoblemaillard Picture Book Identified as challenged/banned in ALA state lists and NEA compilations.
Hair Love Matthew A. Cherry @matthewacherry Picture Book On NEA/PEN lists of banned/challenged books.
Julián Is a Mermaid Jessica Love @jesslovestories Picture Book Frequently targeted for LGBTQ+ content; appears in PEN/NEA lists.
Malala’s Magic Pencil Malala Yousafzai @malala Picture Book Included in NEA’s PEN-linked banned/challenged list.
We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga Traci Sorell @tracisorellauthor Picture Book Removed or restricted in several districts; flagged by NEA and PEN.
We Are Water Protectors Carole Lindstrom @carolesinstaworld Picture Book Banned or challenged in multiple districts.
Not My Idea: A Book About Whiteness Anastasia Higginbotham Picture Book Frequently challenged for addressing whiteness and racism.
Something Happened in Our Town Marianne Celano et al. Picture Book Removed or restricted for depictions of police violence and racism.
Mommy’s Khimar Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow @jamilahtb Picture Book Listed by NEA as a PEN-tracked banned/challenged title.
All Are Welcome Alexandra Penfold Picture Book Appears on multiple banned/challenged compilations.
Where Are You From? Yamile Saied Méndez @yamilesmendez Picture Book Included in RA list of PEN-tracked bans/challenges.
Eyes That Kiss in the Corners Joanna Ho @joannahowrites Picture Book Noted on NEA/PEN banned/challenged lists.
Saturday Oge Mora @oge_mora Picture Book Listed in NEA/PEN banned/challenged compilations.
The Day You Begin Jacqueline Woodson Picture Book Frequently challenged; appears on NEA lists tied to PEN America data.
The King of Kindergarten Derrick Barnes @authorderrickdbarnes Picture Book Included in NEA/PEN banned/challenged lists.
The ABCs of Black History Rio Cortez @rio.cortez Picture Book Included in 2023 state banned/challenged lists.
Homeland: My Father Dreams of Palestine Hannah Moushabeck @hannahmoushabeck Picture Book Reported removed or challenged amid suppression of Palestinian stories.
These Olive Trees Aya Ghanameh @ayaghanameh Picture Book Listed among Palestinian books banned/challenged in the U.S.
We Are Palestinian Reem Kassis @reem.kassis Picture Book Highlighted in reporting on Palestinian titles being challenged.
Thirst Varsha Bajaj @varsha_bajaj Middle Grade Appears in Florida book-ban coverage and ALA lists of removals.
Hidden Figures (Young Readers Edition) Margot Lee Shetterly MG Nonfiction Included in banned/challenged lists and ALA state reports.
From the Desk of Zoe Washington Janae Marks @janaemarksbooks Middle Grade Listed in NEA banned/challenged lists.
The Night Diary Veera Hiranandani @veerawriter Middle Grade Banned in FL and TX districts; appears in PEN/ALA compilations.
Brown Girl Dreaming Jacqueline Woodson MG/YA Challenged or removed for “CRT” claims; included in ALA lists.
Bud, Not Buddy Christopher Paul Curtis Middle Grade Challenged/banned in several districts.
I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter Erika L. Sánchez @erika_l_sanchez YA Removed or restricted in multiple states.
Rise Up! How You Can Join the Fight Against White Supremacy Crystal M. Fleming YA Nonfiction Listed among banned/challenged titles.
It’s Trevor Noah: Born a Crime (Young Readers Edition) Trevor Noah @trevornoah YA Memoir Removed or challenged in several districts.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi @jasonreynolds83, @ibramxk YA Nonfiction Widely banned; removed across many states.
Just Mercy (Adapted for Young Adults) Bryan Stevenson @eji_org YA Nonfiction Banned or challenged for discussing policing and racism.
Antiracist Baby Ibram X. Kendi @ibramxk Board/Picture Book Frequently targeted; appears in PEN America’s index.
The 1619 Project: Born on the Water Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renée Watson @nikolehannahjones, @reneewauthor Picture/YA Banned/restricted in several school systems.

Books for Adults

Fiction and Non-Fiction

Title Author Instagram Book Type What’s Happened
How to Be an Antiracist Ibram X. Kendi @ibramxk Adult/YA Nonfiction Removed or restricted in many school districts and prison systems; frequently cited in PEN America reporting on banned antiracism books.
Stamped from the Beginning Ibram X. Kendi @ibramxk Adult Nonfiction Banned or restricted in schools and libraries in multiple states, often alongside How to Be an Antiracist.
The New Jim Crow Michelle Alexander Adult Nonfiction Banned or restricted in prisons and school districts; appears in PEN America and ACLU reporting on censorship.
So You Want to Talk About Race Ijeoma Oluo @ijeomaoluo Adult/YA Nonfiction Removed from classroom and library collections in several systems, often labeled as “CRT.”
Me and White Supremacy (original & YA) Layla F. Saad @laylafsaad Adult/YA Nonfiction Banned or challenged in multiple states; appears in state-by-state compilations of challenged antiracism texts.
When They Call You a Terrorist: A Black Lives Matter Memoir Patrisse Khan-Cullors & asha bandele @osopepatrisse Adult/YA Memoir Removed or restricted in various districts and prison systems for so-called “divisive” or “anti-police” content.
Hood Feminism Mikki Kendall Adult Nonfiction Flagged in multiple challenges and included in 2023 banned/challenged state lists for its critique of racism and sexism.
Stay Woke: A People’s Guide to Making All Black Lives Matter Tehama Lopez Bunyasi & Candis Watts Smith Adult Nonfiction Cited in reports on titles targeted for “BLM/CRT” themes; listed among banned/challenged books in several states.
How We Fight White Supremacy Akiba Solomon & Kenrya Rankin (eds.) Adult Nonfiction Removed from at least one curriculum and featured in lists of anti-racist texts targeted for bans.
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America Richard Rothstein Adult Nonfiction Removed from some school library collections amid debates over “divisive concepts” and race education.
Homegoing Yaa Gyasi Adult Novel Banned or restricted in several districts (including some in Missouri, Colorado, and others) for sexual and racial content.
Good Talk Mira Jacob @goodtalkthanks Adult/YA Graphic Memoir Appears in PEN America’s index and various banned-book lists; banned or restricted in multiple school systems.
Such a Fun Age Kiley Reid @kileyreid Adult Novel Included in 2023 state-by-state lists of books banned or challenged, often tagged as “divisive” for its treatment of race and class.
Between the World and Me Ta-Nehisi Coates Adult/YA Nonfiction Banned or challenged in multiple states for its frank discussion of racism and policing.
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous Ocean Vuong Adult Novel Removed or restricted in several school districts (e.g., parts of Texas) over LGBTQ+ and sexual content.
The Fire Next Time James Baldwin Adult Essays Long-standing target of bans; noted as banned/challenged in Florida and other regions and featured in modern banned-book campaigns.
Sister Outsider Audre Lorde Adult Essays Temporarily pulled or restricted in at least one Tennessee district and cited as a banned/challenged LGBTQ+ Black feminist classic.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents Isabel Wilkerson @isabelwilkerson Adult Nonfiction Removed from a Texas county library system and discussed widely as a banned title.

Ibram X. Kendi

Bryan Stevenson

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Ibram X. Kendi Bryan Stevenson Nikole Hannah-Jones

Jacqueline Woodson

Matthew A. Cherry

Carole Lindstrom

Malala Yousafzai

Jacqueline Woodson Matthew A. Cherry Carole Lindstrom Malala Yousafzai

Margot Lee

Joanna Ho

Marianne Celano

Oge Mora

Derrick Barnes

Rio Cortez

Margot Lee Joanna Ho Marianne Celano Oge Mora Derrick Barnes Rio Cortez