Celebrating Freedom to Read Week, the fourth week in February every year.
This list includes a link to the complete Challenged Books and Magazines list published by the Book and Periodical Council.
Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, i...Show more
Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future. (NoveList Plus)
Challenged for: Profanity, Sexually Explicit, Violence, Morally Corrupt, Offensive Language
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Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, i...Show more
Offred, a Handmaid, describes life in what was once the United States, now the Republic of Gilead, a shockingly repressive and intolerant monotheocracy, in a satirical tour de force set in the near future. (NoveList Plus)
Challenged for: Profanity, Sexually Explicit, Violence, Morally Corrupt, Offensive Language
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In 1915, Robert Ross, a young Canadian, enlists as an officer and begins a geographic and psychological journey through army training, troopship life, the...Show more
In 1915, Robert Ross, a young Canadian, enlists as an officer and begins a geographic and psychological journey through army training, troopship life, the slaughter at Ypres, a love affair in England, and the devastation of Belgium. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Violence, Sexual Content
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In 1915, Robert Ross, a young Canadian, enlists as an officer and begins a geographic and psychological journey through army training, troopship life, the...Show more
In 1915, Robert Ross, a young Canadian, enlists as an officer and begins a geographic and psychological journey through army training, troopship life, the slaughter at Ypres, a love affair in England, and the devastation of Belgium. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Violence, Sexual Content
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In 1954 a fisherman from San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American is charged with his murder. The trial is ...Show more
In 1954 a fisherman from San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American is charged with his murder. The trial is haunted by memories of what happened to the Japanese residents during World War II when the entire community was sent into exile. Challenged for: Sexual Content
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In 1954 a fisherman from San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American is charged with his murder. The trial is ...Show more
In 1954 a fisherman from San Piedro Island in Puget Sound is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese-American is charged with his murder. The trial is haunted by memories of what happened to the Japanese residents during World War II when the entire community was sent into exile. Challenged for: Sexual Content
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Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neith...Show more
Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Offensive Language, Violence, Sexual Content
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Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neith...Show more
Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Offensive Language, Violence, Sexual Content
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When Anastasia Steele, a young literature student, interviews wealthy young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, their initial meeting int...Show more
When Anastasia Steele, a young literature student, interviews wealthy young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, their initial meeting introduces Anastasia to an exciting new world that will change them both forever. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Suitability
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When Anastasia Steele, a young literature student, interviews wealthy young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, their initial meeting int...Show more
When Anastasia Steele, a young literature student, interviews wealthy young entrepreneur Christian Grey for her campus magazine, their initial meeting introduces Anastasia to an exciting new world that will change them both forever. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Sexually Explicit, Offensive Language, Suitability
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Trapped in a milieu of deceit and pettiness – her own and that of others – Rachel longs for love, and contact with another human being who shares her rebe...Show more
Trapped in a milieu of deceit and pettiness – her own and that of others – Rachel longs for love, and contact with another human being who shares her rebellious spirit. Through a summer affair, she learns at last to reach out to another person and to make herself vulnerable. Challenged for Sexual Content, Immorality
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Trapped in a milieu of deceit and pettiness – her own and that of others – Rachel longs for love, and contact with another human being who shares her rebe...Show more
Trapped in a milieu of deceit and pettiness – her own and that of others – Rachel longs for love, and contact with another human being who shares her rebellious spirit. Through a summer affair, she learns at last to reach out to another person and to make herself vulnerable. Challenged for Sexual Content, Immorality
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Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer, likes to spend her summers building treehouses, swimming, and catching lightning bugs with her big brother Jem. ...Show more
Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer, likes to spend her summers building treehouses, swimming, and catching lightning bugs with her big brother Jem. But one summer, when a black man is accused of raping a white woman, Scout's carefree days come to an end. In the county courtroom, she will join her father in a desperate battle against ignorance and prejudice. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Racism, Violence, Offensive Language
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Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer, likes to spend her summers building treehouses, swimming, and catching lightning bugs with her big brother Jem. ...Show more
Scout Finch, daughter of the town lawyer, likes to spend her summers building treehouses, swimming, and catching lightning bugs with her big brother Jem. But one summer, when a black man is accused of raping a white woman, Scout's carefree days come to an end. In the county courtroom, she will join her father in a desperate battle against ignorance and prejudice. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Racism, Violence, Offensive Language
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Presents the award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the author's hometown, and reveals the problems and issues the families within the community face. Challenged for Offensive Language
Presents the award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the author's hometown, and reveals the problems and issues the families within the community face. Challenged for Offensive Language
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Presents the award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the author's hometown, and reveals the problems and issues the families within the community face. Challenged for Offensive Language
Presents the award-winning trilogy of graphic novels set in an imaginary version of the author's hometown, and reveals the problems and issues the families within the community face. Challenged for Offensive Language
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On a summer day in 1935, young Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. B...Show more
On a summer day in 1935, young Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony's misunderstanding of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime which has repercussions.
Challenged for: Poor writing style and grammar
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On a summer day in 1935, young Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. B...Show more
On a summer day in 1935, young Briony Tallis witnesses a moment's flirtation between her older sister, Cecilia, and Robbie Turner, the son of a servant. But Briony's misunderstanding of adult motives and her precocious imagination bring about a crime that will change all their lives, a crime which has repercussions.
Challenged for: Poor writing style and grammar
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Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistently haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl. (No...Show more
Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistently haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Accuracy and Necessity for content, Religious Viewpoint
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Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistently haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl. (No...Show more
Sethe, an escaped slave living in post-Civil War Ohio with her daughter and mother-in-law, is persistently haunted by the ghost of her dead baby girl. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Violence, Profanity, Sexual Content, Accuracy and Necessity for content, Religious Viewpoint
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A young Jewish man in 1948 Montreal is driven by an insatiable desire to be a somebody, and stops at nothing to get there. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Sexual expressions, Sexual innuendo, Offensive Language
A young Jewish man in 1948 Montreal is driven by an insatiable desire to be a somebody, and stops at nothing to get there. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Sexual expressions, Sexual innuendo, Offensive Language
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A young Jewish man in 1948 Montreal is driven by an insatiable desire to be a somebody, and stops at nothing to get there. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Sexual expressions, Sexual innuendo, Offensive Language
A young Jewish man in 1948 Montreal is driven by an insatiable desire to be a somebody, and stops at nothing to get there. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Sexual expressions, Sexual innuendo, Offensive Language
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The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheav...Show more
The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life. Challenged for Scenes of Torture, Islamic Content
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The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheav...Show more
The great-granddaughter of Iran's last emperor and the daughter of ardent Marxists describes growing up in Tehran in a country plagued by political upheaval and vast contradictions between public and private life. Challenged for Scenes of Torture, Islamic Content
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The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run--one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Racism, Violence
The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run--one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Racism, Violence
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The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run--one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Racism, Violence
The tragic story of two itinerant ranch hands on the run--one is the lifelong companion to the other, a developmentally disabled man. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Vulgarity, Racism, Violence
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The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for th...Show more
The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit
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The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for th...Show more
The child of an alcoholic father and an eccentric artist mother discusses her family's nomadic upbringing, during which she and her siblings fended for themselves while their parents outmaneuvered bill collectors and the authorities. (NoveListPlus)
Challenged for: Offensive Language, Sexually Explicit
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The visual artist behind such cult films as Hairspray traces his haphazard cross-country hitchhiking journey at the sides of a motley group of unsuspectin...Show more
The visual artist behind such cult films as Hairspray traces his haphazard cross-country hitchhiking journey at the sides of a motley group of unsuspecting drivers, including a gentle farmer, an indie band and the author's unexpected hero. Challenged for: Sexually Explicit
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The visual artist behind such cult films as Hairspray traces his haphazard cross-country hitchhiking journey at the sides of a motley group of unsuspectin...Show more
The visual artist behind such cult films as Hairspray traces his haphazard cross-country hitchhiking journey at the sides of a motley group of unsuspecting drivers, including a gentle farmer, an indie band and the author's unexpected hero. Challenged for: Sexually Explicit
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This selective list, prepared by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council, provides information on more than 100 books, maga...Show more
This selective list, prepared by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council, provides information on more than 100 books, magazines and other written works that have been challenged in the past decades. Each challenge sought to limit public access to the works in schools, libraries, or bookstores. Some challenges were upheld; others were rejected. We have tried to update our research on unresolved challenges.
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