Banned Books for Your Book Club

Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.
— Laurie Halse Anderson

Lock up your libraries if you like; but there is no gate, no lock, no bolt that you can set upon the freedom of my mind.
— Virginia Woolf

The Colorado Book Club Resource includes a broad range of titles (each set contains 8+ copies) that are available to book clubs across the state, thanks to the partnership of public libraries. Some of these books have been banned (by state or local governments, libraries, school districts, prisons, etc.) or received challenges from groups or individuals at one time or another. Both are acts of censorship that aim to limit the freedom to read. We also have some sets about censorship itself, offering constructive ways to move forward and resist the censor.

Banned book club sets

Be sure to check out the comprehensive list in the Book Club Resource catalog.

Selections from American Library Association (ALA) lists

The Book Club Resource includes every title on the Top 10 Most Challenged Books list:

1. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson

2. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe

3. (TIE) The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

3. (TIE) The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

5. Tricks by Ellen Hopkins

6. (TIE) Looking for Alaska by John Green

6. (TIE) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews

8. (TIE) Crank by Ellen Hopkins

8. (TIE) Sold by Patricia McCormick

10. Flamer by Mike Curato

Other titles from previous top 10 lists

Long list of challenged/banned books* available in the Book Club Resource

These titles have at some point been banned or received challenges. The list is mainly focused on US censorship. No doubt more will be added in future, so be sure to find the updated list in the catalog.