Uncensored: Best Banned Books of 2024

Here are the banned books our members read the most!

Three diverse individuals are shown in a split image, each holding a book and engaged in reading. The background features shelves filled with books, emphasizing a focus on learning and community involvement.

Hey booklover! We see you’ve been reading banned books and finding ways to advocate against censorship. Some of you have been starting banned book clubs in school, using social media to further inform others on the issue, and encouraging your besties to read your banned book recommendations.

Throughout the year, more than 25,000 members signed up for Uncensored! Y’all have been exploring coming of age stories, historical events, summer love, and more; all written by a diverse group of authors whose works have been stripped off library and school shelves.

According to PEN America, the organization has recorded 10,046 instances of book bans in the 2023-2024 school year. Florida and Iowa together exceed over 8,000 instances of book bans since enacting state laws that require removal of certain books from schools and libraries.

We pulled the top banned books featured in Uncensored for 2024 that you can spend more time reading. Choose a book you may have wanted to read, but never had the time to, or gift your friend a banned book!

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Discover something new from a diverse group of authors. Then be sure to share your reflections with us through our Uncensored action (you’ll become eligible to earn a $500 scholarship)!

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Best Banned Books of 2024 Reading List

An illustrated cover of the book 'The Hate U Give' by Angie Thomas, featuring a character holding a sign with the book title. The character has a short, curly hairstyle and is wearing casual attire, embodying themes of activism and social justice.

The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas

The Hate You Give, is inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement and in reaction to the shooting of Oscar Grant. It depicts a 16-year-old African-American girl from a poor neighborhood attending a private school in a predominantly white, affluent part of the city, and becomes entangled in a national news story after she witnesses a white police officer shoot and kill her childhood friend, Khalil.

Book cover of 'I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter' by Erika L. Sánchez, featuring an illustration of a person with braided hair, wearing a red top and facing a city skyline. The title is prominently displayed in bold white letters, emphasizing themes of identity and cultural expectations.

I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter (2017) by Erika L. Sanchez

The book’s main character Julia must put her family back together after a tragic accident befell her sister Olga. As Julia mourns the death of her sister she also struggles to find out more about Olga’s life as she may not have been “the perfect Mexican daughter” her family thought she was. If you want to find out more about Olga’s story, and the secrets she kept from her family, add Sanchez’s book to your road trip or vacay!

Book cover of 'Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood' by Marjane Satrapi, featuring a striking red background with an illustration of a young person in a black headscarf. The artwork reflects themes of identity and resilience through its bold colors and unique design.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood (2000) by Marjane Satrapi

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen. During those years she saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. Satrapi is a French-Iranian graphic novelist, with her work based on her experiences growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.

Cover of the 25th Anniversary Edition of 'The House on Mango Street' by Sandra Cisneros, featuring bold orange and red text with an illustration of a window and a woman's silhouette. This book explores themes of identity and community, making it a great resource for civic learning and leadership.

The House on Mango Street (1984) by Sandra Cisneros

The House on Mango Street is the remarkable coming-of-age story of Esperanza Cordero, a 12-year-old living in Chicago. This lyrical novel explores Esperanza’s life, as well as her struggles and dreams. It has been banned and challenged due to themes of poverty, sexuality, and racism.

The cover of 'Milk and Honey' by Rupi Kaur features bold white text on a black background, with two intricate illustrations of bees at the bottom. This book explores themes of love, loss, and personal growth.

milk and honey (2014) by Rupi Kaur

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author Rupi Kaur not only wrote and illustrated milk and honey, but he also self-published the book! Milk and honey is a collection of poems divided into four chapters each touching on themes of survival, feminism, relationships, abuse, love, and loss.

Cover of 'Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation' featuring a young person with dark hair seated at a desk with a notebook and pen. The background includes a group of diverse figures, reflecting themes of community and resilience.

Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation (2018), by Ari Folman, Anne Frank & Illustrated by David Polonsky

This timeless piece has been renewed into a graphic novel, where a new generation can now experience the story of Anne Frank and her experience evading capture with her family during the Holocaust. Did you know Anne wrote more than one diary as well? Her voice continues to live on in stories that many may not have gotten a chance to read.

Cover of the novel 'The Girl Who Fell From the Sky' by Heidi W. Durrow, featuring a silhouette of a figure falling against a teal background. The book is a Bellwether Prize winner and explores themes of identity and belonging.

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (2010) Heidi W. Durrow

This award-winning young adult novel centers around a biracial girl who examines her reality and struggles with her identity. Durrow sought to showcase the idea of Black identity and womanhood. The novel garnered several awards, including the Bellwether Prize for Literature of Social Change, and has joined The Authors Guild Banned Books Club in 2022.

A promotional image for the film 'Fences,' featuring two characters embracing in a heartfelt moment. The text highlights the work of August Wilson and the film's acclaim, set against a dark wooden background.

Fences (1985) by August Wilson

If you don’t know famed playwright August Wilson, you’re about to!

Wilson’s Fences is the Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, a Tony Award for Best Play, and a Major Motion Picture directed by and starring Denzel Washington. It follows Troy Maxson, a father and husband who is struggling to survive as a Black man in America. As the 1950s are making way for a new spirit of liberation in the 1960s, Troy must find a way to deal with this new environment, as his wife and son understand it more than him. It’s a complex tale that has stood the test of time.

Cover of "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, featuring two figures in red cloaks and white bonnets walking in a circular stone corridor. The book explores themes of power, identity, and societal control.

The Handmaid's Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood

One of the most familiar books within literature, The Handmaid’s Tale tells the story of an overthrown U.S. government and the role of most women in this new totalitarian state called, the Republic of Gilead. The story follows its main character Offred who is one of many "Handmaids," described as women who are forcibly assigned to produce children for the "Commanders," who are the ruling class in Gilead.

An illustrated cover of 'The Prince and the Dressmaker' by Jen Wang, featuring two characters embracing, one in a dress and the other in a royal outfit with a cape. The vibrant colors and whimsical design highlight themes of creativity and identity.

The Prince and the Dressmaker (2018) by Jen Wang

This award-winning graphic novel offers up a twist on a fairy tale story. The main character, Prince Sebastian, struggles to hide his secret life from everyone while his parents struggle to find him a bride. With his friend, Frances, a brilliant dressmaker by his side, the pair try on fabulous fits in Paris, while Frances makes dresses for Sebastian to wear as his alter ego Lady Crystallia.

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