No one likes being told what to do. From the clothes we wear to the music being played on the radio, someone will complain. However, what can be done when we are told what we can or can't read? We pick up our favorite books and keep reading! Your favorite library provides free books for everyone to enjoy, and simply challenging that right is unfair. In celebration of Banned Books Week, here are a few titles to fight the powers that be!
We're all born different, and that's okay. This is simply what George M. Johnson conveys in his award-winning memoir All Boys Aren't Blue. The beautifully written manifesto tells of Johnson's early years experiencing poverty, toxic masculinity, and queerness. Despite receiving critical acclaim, the book has been subject to multiple attempts of censorship due to its heavy content.
Accept who you are, and revel in it. This is the lesson learned by Aiden Navarro, the protagonist of Flamer. His life is a juggling act; navigating friendships, bullies, and repressed feelings for his best friend Elias. Nevertheless, he perseveres through these obstacles while achieving both understanding and self-love. The novel's themes of same-sex relationships, teenage angst, and suicidal ideation made it a target to be banned, but beloved by readers.
Sometimes it's better to observe than to engage. No one knows this better than Charlie, an aspiring writer, and protagonist of the classic novel The Perks of Being A Wallflower. With its themes of sexuality, childhood trauma, and drug use, the book has been repeatedly challenged by critics and revered by youth who understand the growing pains of life.
Felix Love has done quite a few things in his short, young life. He's never been in love and is about to embark on quite the journey. In Felix Ever After, he faces the uphill battle of being Black, queer, and transgender; making him not only a target for his peers but an anonymous classmate who sends transphobic messages and pre-opt pictures of him. Instead of finding love, Felix finds himself seeking revenge. Due to its themes of sexuality, transphobia, and cyberbullying, the polarizing novel is often challenged.
All Michael ever wanted was to be accepted. Being mixed-race and openly gay was quite the challenge until he joined the Drag Society. Here, he isn't Michael, but rather the Black Flamingo. A riveting and beautiful story about self-acceptance, inner beauty, and freedom, the widespread acclaim of this novel outweighs any challenges it's faced.
Do you have a title that has been banned or challenged? Let us know in the comments below.
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