Frequently Challenged Books with Diverse Content

The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country. We compile lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools. How do we define diversity?

  • A Gathering of Old Men by Ernest J. Gaines
  • A Hero Ain't Nothin But a Sandwich by Alice Childress
  • A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
  • Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  • All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
  • Always Running by Luis J Rodriguez
  • Am I Blue?: Coming Out from the Silence by Marion Dane Baue
  • America by E.R. Frank
  • And Tango Makes Three by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
  • Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden
  • Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X and Alex Haley
  • Baby Be-Bop by Francesca Lia Block
  • Ball Don't Lie by Matt De La Pena
  • Beloved by Toni Morrison
  • Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out by Susan Kuklin
  • Black Boy by Richard Wright
  • Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo A Anaya
  • Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
  • Bronx Masquerade by Nikki Grimes
  • Color of Earth by Kim Dong Hwa
  • Daddy's Roommate by Michael Willhoite
  • Drama by Raina Telgemeier
  • Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers
  • Families: A Celebration of Diversity, Commitment and Love by Aylette Jenness
  • Full Spectrum by David Levithan
  • Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
  • Geography Club by Brent Hartinger
  • George by Alex Gino
  • Getting It by Alex Sanchez
  • God Box by Alex Sanchez
  • Habibi by Craig Thompson
  • Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman
  • Hold Me Closer by David Levithan
  • Hoops by Walter Dean Myers
  • I Am J by Cris Beam
  • I Am Jazz by Jessica Herthel and Jazz Jennings
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  • Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
  • Ironman by Chris Crutcher
  • It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H Harris
  • Jazmin's Notebook by Nikki Grimes
  • Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane
  • King & King by Linda de Haan
  • Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman
  • Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
  • Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli
  • Mexican Whiteboy by Matt De La Pena
  • Monster by Walter Dean Myers
  • Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress by Christine Baldacchino
  • My Princess Boy by Cheryl Kilodavis
  • Nappy Hair by Carolivia Herron
  • Nasreen’s Secret School by Jeanette Winter
  • Native Son by Richard Wright
  • Palestine: A Nation Occupied by Joe Sacco
  • Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire
  • Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
  • Rainbow Boys by Alex Sanchez
  • Rainbow High by Alex Sanchez
  • Rainbow Road by Alex Sanchez
  • Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D Taylor
  • Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs
  • Scorpions by Walter Dean Myers
  • So Far From the Bamboo Grove by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
  • Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
  • The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  • The Color Purple by Alice Walker
  • The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
  • The Diary of a Girl by Anne Frank
  • The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman
  • The House of the Spirits by Isabel Allende
  • The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros
  • The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
  • The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
  • The Miseducation of Cameron Post by Emily M. Danforth
  • The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  • The Slave Dancer by Paula Fox
  • This Book is Gay by James Dawson
  • This Day in June by Gayle Pitman
  • This One Summer by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki
  • Tintin in America by Hergé
  • Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan
  • Tyrell by Coe Booth
  • Uncle Bobby's Wedding by Sarah S Brannen
  • Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher
  • Who's in a Family? by Robert Skutch
  • Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty by Greg Neri