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Banned Books List

Created by FindLaw's team of legal writers and editors | Last reviewed June 20, 2016

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If it weren't for the freedom of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, some of the most popular books ever written may have never made it to their readers. Consider the following books, taken from lists of titles most often "banned" during the last century.* How many have you (or your children) read?

  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
  • Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
  • Forever, by Judy Blume
  • The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
  • Goosebumps (Series), by R.L. Stine
  • The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
  • In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
  • The Stupids (Series), by Harry Allard
  • Blubber, by Judy Blume
  • The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
  • The Handmaid's Tale, by Margaret Atwood
  • The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
  • To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
  • Deenie, by Judy Blume
  • Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
  • Beloved, by Toni Morrison
  • Harry Potter (Series), by J.K. Rowling
  • Cujo, by Stephen King
  • James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
  • Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
  • Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
  • Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
  • Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
  • Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
  • Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
  • Native Son, by Richard Wright
  • The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
  • Carrie, by Stephen King
  • The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
  • The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
  • Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
  • Private Parts, by Howard Stern
  • Where's Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
  • Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
  • Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
  • Christine, by Stephen King

According to the American Library Association (ALA) the 10 most challenged books of 2007 are:

1. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
2. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
3. Olive's Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
4. The Golden Compass, by Philip Pullman
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
 6. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
7. TTYL, by Lauren Myracle
8. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
9. It's Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
10. The Perks of Being A Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky

And the most frequently challenged authors of 2007:

1. Robert Cormier
2. Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
3. Mark Twain
4. Toni Morrison
5. Philip Pullman
 6. Kevin Henkes
7. Lois Lowry
8. Chris Crutcher
9. Lauren Myracle
10. Joann Sfar

*Sources:

The On-Line Books Page: Banned Book On-Line
http://digital.library.upenn.edu/books/banned-books.html

American Library Association: Frequently Challenged Books

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