Banned Books

An independent catalogue of 661 books banned or challenged by governments, schools, and libraries across the world — from Cold War censorship to today’s classroom removals.

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661 books

Cover of Crescent City

Featured

Crescent City

Sarah J. Maas · 2019

Bound by blood. Tempted by desire. Unleashed by destiny. Bryce Quinlan had the perfect life—working hard all day and partying all night—until a demon murdered her closest friends, leaving her bereft, wounded, and alone. When the accused is behind bars but the crimes start up again, Bryce finds herself at the heart of the investigation. She’ll do whatever it takes to avenge their deaths. Hunt Athalar is a notorious Fallen angel, now enslaved to the Archangels he once attempted to overthro

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of 1984

1984

George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four: A Novel, often referred to as 1984, is a dystopian social science fiction novel by the English novelist George Orwell (the pen name of Eric Arthur Blair). It was published on 8 June 1949 by Secker & Warburg as Orwell's ninth and final book completed in his lifetime. Thematically, Nineteen Eighty-Four centres on the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance, and repressive regimentation of persons and behaviours within society. Orwell, himself a democratic socialist

DystopianSci-fiPolitical

Banned in 3 countries

23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad

23 Years: A Study of the Prophetic Career of Mohammad

Ali Dashti

Non-fictionReligiousOther

Banned in Iran

Cover of 33 Snowfish

33 Snowfish

Adam Rapp

A homeless boy, running from the police with a fifteen-year-old, drug-addicted prostitute, her boyfriend who just killed his own parents, and a baby, gets the chance to make a better life for himself.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive

A Child Called "It": One Child's Courage to Survive

Dave Pelzer

This book chronicles the unforgettable account of one of the most severe child abuse cases in California history. It is the story of Dave Pelzer, who was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who played tortuous, unpredictable games--games that left him nearly dead. He had to learn how to play his mother's games in order to survive because she no longer considered him a son, but a slave; and no longer a boy, but an "it." Dave's bed was an old army

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Clash of Kings

A Clash of Kings

George R. R. Martin

In this thrilling sequel to *A Game of Thrones*, George R. R. Martin has created a work of unsurpassed vision, power, and imagination. *A Clash of Kings* transports us to a world of revelry and revenge, wizardry and warfare unlike any we have ever experienced. ***A Clash of Kings*** A comet the color of blood and flame cuts across the sky. Two great leaders—Lord Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon—who hold sway over an age of enforced peace are dead, victims of royal treachery. Now, from the

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Clockwork Orange

A Clockwork Orange

Anthony Burgess

A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian satirical black comedy novel by English writer Anthony Burgess, published in 1962. It is set in a near-future society that has a youth subculture of extreme violence. The teenage protagonist, Alex, narrates his violent exploits and his experiences with state authorities intent on reforming him. The book is partially written in a Russian-influenced argot called "Nadsat", which takes its name from the Russian suffix that is equivalent to '-teen' in English. Accord

DystopianSci-fiSexualViolence

Banned in United States

Cover of A Court of Frost and Starlight

A Court of Frost and Starlight

Sarah J. Maas

Feyre is a huntress. The skin of a wolf would bring enough gold to feed her sisters for a month. But the life of a magical creature comes at a steep price, and Feyre has just killed the wrong wolf ... Follow Feyre's journey into the dangerous, alluring world of the Fae, where she will lose her heart, face her demons and learn what she is truly capable of. This four-ebook bundle of the #1 New York Times bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas includes A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mis

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Court of Mist and Fury

A Court of Mist and Fury

Sarah J. Maas

Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people. As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series)

A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses Series)

Sarah J. Maas

Feyre is a huntress. The skin of a wolf would bring enough gold to feed her sisters for a month. But the life of a magical creature comes at a steep price, and Feyre has just killed the wrong wolf ... Follow Feyre's journey into the dangerous, alluring world of the Fae, where she will lose her heart, face her demons and learn what she is truly capable of. This four-ebook bundle of the #1 New York Times bestselling series by Sarah J. Maas includes A Court of Thorns and Roses, A Court of Mis

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A ​Court of Silver Flames

A ​Court of Silver Flames

Sarah J. Maas

Sarah J. Maas's sexy, richly imagined Court of Thorns and Roses series continues with the journey of Feyre's fiery sister, Nesta. Nesta Archeron has always been prickly – proud, swift to anger and slow to forgive. And since the war – since being made High Fae against her will – she's struggled to forget the horrors she endured and find a place for herself within the strange and deadly Night Court. The person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred, winged

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses

Sarah J. Maas

When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world. At least, he's not a beast all the time. As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every

FantasyRomanceSexual

Banned in United States

Cover of A Court of Wings and Ruin

A Court of Wings and Ruin

Sarah J. Maas

Looming war threatens all Feyre holds dear in the third volume of the #1 New York Times bestselling A Court of Thorns and Roses series. Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's manoeuvrings and the invading king threatening to bring Prythian to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit – and one slip may spell doom not only for Feyre, but for her world as well. As war bears down upon them all, Feyre must decide who to trust am

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Dance with Dragons

A Dance with Dragons

George R. R. Martin

In the aftermath of a colossal battle, the future of the Seven Kingdoms hangs in the balance once again–beset by newly emerging threats from every direction. In the east, Daenerys Targaryen, the last scion of House Targaryen, rules with her three dragons as queen of a city built on dust and death. But Daenerys has three times three thousand enemies, and many have set out to find her. Yet, as they gather, one young man embarks upon his own quest for the queen, with an entirely different goal in m

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Farewell to Arms

A Farewell to Arms

Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms is about a love affair between the expatriate American Henry and Catherine Barkley against the backdrop of the First World War, cynical soldiers, fighting and the displacement of populations. The publication of A Farewell to Arms cemented Hemingway's stature as a modern American writer, became his first best-seller, and is described by biographer Michael Reynolds as "the premier American war novel from that debacle World War I."

Literary fictionHistorical fictionSexualOther

Banned in Ireland

Cover of A Feast for Crows

A Feast for Crows

George R. R. Martin

Few books have captivated the imagination and won the devotion and praise of readers and critics everywhere as has George R. R. Martin’s monumental epic cycle of high fantasy. Now, in *A Feast for Crows*, Martin delivers the long-awaited fourth book of his landmark series, as a kingdom torn asunder finds itself at last on the brink of peace . . . only to be launched on an even more terrifying course of destruction. ***A Feast for Crows*** It seems too good to be true. After centuries of bi

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

A Feast for the Seaweeds

A Feast for the Seaweeds

Haidar Haidar

Literary fictionReligiousOther

Banned in Egypt

Cover of A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones

George R. R. Martin

***A Game of Thrones*** is the inaugural novel in ***A Song of Ice and Fire***, an epic series of fantasy novels crafted by the American author **George R. R. Martin**. Published on August 1, 1996, this novel introduces readers to the richly detailed world of Westeros and Essos, where political intrigue, power struggles, and magical elements intertwine. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, each chapter focusing on a different character, allowing readers to experience the narrative

FantasyRomanceOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary

A Month and a Day: A Detention Diary

Ken Saro-Wiwa

MemoirNon-fictionPolitical

Banned in Nigeria

A Passage to India

A Passage to India

E. M. Forster

Literary fictionHistorical fictionPoliticalRacial

Banned in India

Cover of A Separate Peace

A Separate Peace

John Knowles

Gene Forrester looks back fifteen years to a World War II year in which he and his best friend were roommates in a New hampshire boarding school.

Coming of ageLiterary fictionSexualViolence

Banned in United States

Cover of A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility

A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility

Taner Akçam

Non-fictionHistorical fictionPoliticalRacial

Banned in Turkey

Cover of A Song of Ice and Fire

A Song of Ice and Fire

George R. R. Martin

***A Game of Thrones*** is the inaugural novel in ***A Song of Ice and Fire***, an epic series of fantasy novels crafted by the American author **George R. R. Martin**. Published on August 1, 1996, this novel introduces readers to the richly detailed world of Westeros and Essos, where political intrigue, power struggles, and magical elements intertwine. The story unfolds through multiple perspectives, each chapter focusing on a different character, allowing readers to experience the narrative

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Stolen Life

A Stolen Life

Jaycee Dugard

In the summer of 1991 I was a normal kid. I did normal things. I had friends and a mother who loved me. I was just like you. Until the day my life was stolen. For eighteen years I was a prisoner. I was an object for someone to use and abuse. For eighteen years I was not allowed to speak my own name. I became a mother and was forced to be a sister. For eighteen years I survived an impossible situation. On August 26, 2009, I took my name back. My name is Jaycee Lee Dugard. I don’t think o

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Storm of Swords

A Storm of Swords

George R. R. Martin

Here is the third volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes *A Game of Thrones* and *A Clash of Kings*. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Thousand Splendid Suns

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Khaled Hosseini

After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today. Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friends

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of A Wrinkle in Time

A Wrinkle in Time

Madeleine L'Engle

Young adultFantasySci-fiReligious

Banned in United States

Cover of Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades

Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

Ace of Spades is an absolutely amazing book, exciting. Every word makes you want to turn a page.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

After (AE)

After (AE)

Amy Efaw

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of Alex Rider Adventure

Alex Rider Adventure

Anthony Horowitz

They told him his uncle died in a car accident. Fourteen-year-old Alex knows that's a lie, and the bullet holes in his uncle's windshield confirm his suspicions. But nothing prepares him for the news that the uncle he always thought he knew was really a spy for MI6—Britain's top secret intelligence agency. Recruited to find his uncle's killers and complete his final mission, Alex suddenly finds himself caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Alice in Bibleland

Alice in Bibleland

Alice Joyce Davidson

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

Lewis Carroll

ChildrenFantasyOtherOther

Banned in China

Cover of All American Boys

All American Boys

Jason Reynolds

When sixteen-year-old Rashad is mistakenly accused of stealing, classmate Quinn witnesses his brutal beating at the hands of a police officer who happens to be the older brother of his best friend. Told through Rashad and Quinn's alternating viewpoints. Two teens grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided by racial tension.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of All Boys Aren't Blue

All Boys Aren't Blue

George M. Johnson

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson explores his childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia. From the memories of getting his teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with his loving grandmother, to his first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by Black queer boys. Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimo

MemoirYoung adultLGBTQ+Sexual

Banned in United States

Cover of All Quiet on the Western Front

All Quiet on the Western Front

Erich Maria Remarque

This is the testament of Paul Bäumer, who enlists with his classmates in the German army of World War I. These young men become enthusiastic soldiers, but their world of duty, culture, and progress breaks into pieces under the first bombardment in the trenches. Through years of vivid horror, Paul holds fast to a single vow: to fight against the hatred that meaninglessly pits young men of the same generation but different uniforms against one another... if only he can come out of the war aliv

Literary fictionHistorical fictionPolitical

Banned in Germany

Cover of All the Bright Places

All the Bright Places

Jennifer Niven

Theodore Finch is fascinated by death, and he constantly thinks of ways he might kill himself. But each time, something good, no matter how small, stops him. Violet Markey lives for the future, counting the days until graduation, when she can escape her Indiana town and her aching grief in the wake of her sister’s recent death. When Finch and Violet meet on the ledge of the bell tower at school, it’s unclear who saves whom. And when they pair up on a project to discover the “natural wond

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of All the Things We Do in the Dark

All the Things We Do in the Dark

Saundra Mitchell

HorrorThrillerOther

Banned in United States

Cover of All This Time

All This Time

Mikki Daughtry

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of All Your Perfects

All Your Perfects

Colleen Hoover

"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Ends with Us--whose writing is "emotionally wrenching and utterly original" (Sarah Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of the Pretty Little Liars series)--delivers a tour de force novel about a troubled marriage and the one old forgotten promise that might be able to save it. Quinn and Graham's perfect love is threatened by their imperfect marriage. The memories, mistakes, and secrets that they have built up over the years are now tearing th

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of All-American Girl

All-American Girl

Meg Cabot

A sophomore girl stops a presidential assassination attempt, is appointed Teen Ambassador to the United Nations, and catches the eye of the very cute First Son.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of Allegedly

Allegedly

Tiffany D. Jackson

When Mary, a teenager living in a group home, becomes pregnant, authorities take another look at the crime for which Mary was convicted when she was nine years old.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of Almost Perfect

Almost Perfect

Brian Katcher

You only hurt the ones you love.Logan Witherspoon recently discovered that his girlfriend of three years cheated on him. But things start to look up when a new student breezes through the halls of his small-town high school. Sage Hendricks befriends Logan at a time when he no longer trusts or believes in people. Sage has been homeschooled for a number of years and her parents have forbidden her to date anyone, but she won't tell Logan why. One day, Logan acts on his growing feelings for Sage. Mo

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Amar Meyebela

Amar Meyebela

Taslima Nasrin

MemoirNon-fictionPoliticalReligious

Banned in Bangladesh

Cover of America

America

E. R. Frank

The complete text of the U.S. Constitution including the Bill of Rights and all the Amendments handlettered and decorated with drawings and sketches.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of American Gods

American Gods

Neil Gaiman

American Gods (2001) is a fantasy novel by British author Neil Gaiman. The novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow.

Literary fictionOther

Banned in United States

Cover of American Psycho

American Psycho

Bret Easton Ellis

American Psycho is a novel by Bret Easton Ellis, published in 1991. The story is told in the first person by Patrick Bateman, a serial killer and Manhattan investment banker. Alison Kelly of The Observer notes that while "some countries [deem it] so potentially disturbing that it can only be sold shrink-wrapped", "critics rave about it" and "academics revel in its transgressive and postmodern qualities".

Literary fictionThrillerSexualViolence

Banned in Australia

Cover of An Abundance of Katherines

An Abundance of Katherines

John Green

Katherine V thought boys were gross Katherine X just wanted to be friends Katherine XVIII dumped him in an e-mail K-19 broke his heart When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton's type happens to be girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and

Young adultComing of ageOther

Banned in United States

Cover of An American Tragedy

An American Tragedy

Theodore Dreiser

The classic depiction of the harsh realities of American life, the dark side of the American Dream, and one man's doomed pursuit of love and success..."Mr. Dreiser is not imitative and belongs to no school. He is at heart a mysticist and a fatalist, though using the realistic method. He is, on the evidence of this novel alone, a power." --The New York Times Book Review

Literary fictionSexualOther

Banned in United States

Cover of An Area of Darkness

An Area of Darkness

V. S. Naipaul

This is V.S. Naipaul's record of his sojourn to India, the land of his fathers. Throughout the book, Naipaul's intense perceptions sweep the reader into the turmoil and fabulous richness of the length and breadth of India.

Non-fictionMemoirPolitical

Banned in India