Book banning and burning have been going on for centuries. Censorship in literature dates back to the Middle Ages and Ancient Rome, even before the invention of the printing press. Historically, political regimes and religious leaders have used book bans to control what information was available to the populace, especially when content could be considered harmful, objectionable, sensitive or simply inconvenient.
Today, book banning has become a grassroots affair with parents and community groups working to restrict books in school districts and public library systems, particularly if they deal with themes related to race, sexuality, LGBTQ characters or other sensitive topics. Violence, language and dark themes also lead to book challenges and censorship. Ironically, book banning often gives these titles more publicity and attention, cementing their status as must-read books that contain some of the most powerful literary messages. Many banned books are classics in their own right.
In honor of Banned Books Week, which runs from October 4-10, 2026, here’s a list of banned books that have won prestigious literary awards or been selected as a finalist. Explore these captivating stories and celebrate your freedom to read any book on the shelf.
Banned & Challenged Pulitzer Prize Winners & Finalists
The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck
The Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression, a book that galvanized--and sometimes outraged--millions of readers. Nominated as one of America's best-loved novels by PBS's The Great American Read.
Award: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1940)
Banned for: Language, sexual themes and portrayals of working conditions that were deemed as pro-communist
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper Lee
Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South--and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatred - Voted America's Best-Loved Novel in PBS's The Great American Read - “One of the most--if not the most--beloved of American novels.” -- The New Yorker
Award: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1961)
Banned for: Racial slurs, violence/sexually explicit violence and themes related to racism
The Color Purple
by Alice Walker
Read the original inspiration for the boldly reimagined film from producers Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, starring Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks and Fantasia Barrino, an enduring classic more than 40th years after its publication.
Award: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and National Book Award (1983)
Banned for: Depictions of sexual violence, abuse, incest and homosexuality
Beloved
by Toni Morrison
PULITZER PRIZE WINNER - NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - This "powerful, mesmerizing story" (People) is an unflinching look into the abyss of slavery, from the acclaimed Nobel Prize winner. "Dazzling ... Magical ... An extraordinary work." – The New York Times
Award: Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (1988)
Banned for: Explicit portrayals of violence, slavery and infanticide
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
by Art Spiegelman
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
by Art Spiegelman
The definitive edition of the graphic novel acclaimed as "the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust" (Wall Street Journal) and "the first masterpiece in comic book history" (The New Yorker)
Award: Pulitzer Prize Special Citation (1992)
Banned for: Language, anthropomorphic nudity, suicide and Holocaust-related violence
Banned & Challenged International Award Winners
A Lesson Before Dying
by Ernest J. Gaines
From the author of A Gathering of Old Men and The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman comes a deep and compassionate novel. A young man who returns to 1940s Cajun country to teach visits a black youth on death row for a crime he didn't commit. Together they come to understand the heroism of resisting.
Award: National Book Critics Circle Award Winner (1993)
Banned for: Language and graphic content related to execution and racial injustice
The God of Small Things
by Arundhati Roy
The year is 1969. In the state of Kerala, on the southernmost tip of India, a sky-blue Plymouth with chrome tailfins is stranded on the highway amid a Marxist workers' demonstration. Inside the car sit two-egg twins Rahel and Esthappen, and so begins their tale ... in the shade of the wreck that is their family.
Award: Booker Prize Winner (1997)
Banned for: Portrayals of sexual relationships between members of different castes
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
by Mark Haddon
NATIONAL BESTSELLER - A modern classic--both poignant and funny--about a boy with autism who sets out to solve the murder of a neighbor's dog and discovers unexpected truths about himself and the world. "Disorienting and reorienting the reader to devastating effect. ... Suspenseful and harrowing." – The New York Times Book Review
Award: Whitbread Book of the Year (2003)
Banned for: Language and atheist themes
National Book Award Winners & Finalists
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou's memoir is a modern American classic, capturing the longing of lonely children, the brute insult of bigotry and the wonder of words that can make the world right. Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read. "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings liberates the reader into life simply because Maya Angelou confronts her own life with such a moving wonder, such a luminous dignity." -- James Baldwin
Award: National Book Award Finalist (1970), Literarian Award (2013)
Banned for: Depictions of childhood trauma, abuse, sexual violence, racial oppression and explicit language
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
The groundbreaking National Book Award Finalist and Michael L. Printz Honor Book with more than 3.5 million copies sold, Speak is a bestselling modern classic about consent, healing and finding your voice. Speak has been translated into 35 languages and inspired a film adaptation starring Kristen Stewart.
Award: National Book Award for Young People's Literature Winner Finalist (1999), Michael L. Printz Honor (2000)
Banned for: Content related to rape/sexual assault
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
A New York Times bestseller--over a million copies sold! Bestselling author Sherman Alexie tells the story of Junior, a budding cartoonist growing up on the Spokane Indian Reservation. Determined to take his future into his own hands, Junior leaves his troubled school on the rez to attend an all-white farm town high school where the only other Indian is the school mascot.
Award: National Book Award for Young People's Literature Winner (2007)
Banned for: Frank discussions of violence, bullying, poverty, racism and alcoholism, as well as strong language
The Poet X
by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Poet X is the astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. "A story that will slam the power of poetry and love back into your heart." – Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains
Award: National Book Award for Young People's Literature Winner (2018), Michael L. Printz Award Winner (2019), Pura Belpré Award (2019), Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2018)
Banned for: Language, religious views and sexual themes
Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America (Revised)
by Ibram X Kendi
The New York Times bestselling history of how racist ideas were created, spread and deeply rooted in American society. "An engrossing and relentless intellectual history of prejudice in America." - Washington Post
Award: National Book Award Winner (2016)
Banned for: Critical explorations of racism and race theory
Award-Winning Banned Books for Youth
Growing up, my mom was what anyone would consider overprotective. So, I was almost surprised by how many banned books I grew up reading. Titles like The Giver, Bridge to Terabithia, The Perks of Being a Wallflower and even Speak were mainstays back then.
My high school had us read numerous books that appear on banned lists, including Ernest J. Gaines National Book Critics Circle Award Winner mentioned above. We also read Richard Wright’s 1945 memoir Black Boy, which has been a target for literary censorship for decades under the belief that it might cause interracial tension due to its raw depictions of poverty and racism.
If you’re feeling nostalgic, here are a few kids’ and YA books to read for Banned Books Week. They'll all featured in an our YA Banned Books Reading Challenge.
1. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak — Caldecott Medal Winner (1964)
2. The Giver by Lois Lowry — Newbery Medal Winner (1994)
3. Looking for Alaska by John Green — Michael L. Printz Award Winner (2006)
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson — Michael L. Printz Award Winner (2015)
5. This One Summer: A Graphic Novel by Jillian Tamaki - Mariko Tamaki — Caldecott Honor (2015) and Michael L. Printz Honor (2015)
6. Gabi, a Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero — Tomas Rivera Mexican American Children's Book Award Winner (2015)
7. Melissa (Previously Published as George) by Alex Gino — Stonewall Book Award Winner (2016)
8. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Pérez — Michael L. Printz Honor (2016)
9. New Kid: A Graphic Novel by Jerry Craft - Jerry Craft — Newbery Medal Winner, Coretta Scott King Book Award, Kirkus Prize for Young Readers' Literature (2020)
10. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - Amandla Stenberg — Michael L. Printz Honor, Coretta Scott King Honor (2018)
11. Gender Queer: A Memoir by Maia Kobabe - Phoebe Kobabe — Stonewall Book Award Winner and Alex Award Winner (2020)
12. Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo — National Book Award Winner, Stonewall Book Award Winner, Michael L. Printz Honor Winner (2021)
How to Get Involved
Getting involved in Banned Books Week is a powerful way to support free speech and self-expression while taking a stand against literary censorship. Learn how you can get involved.
- Pick up one of these banned or challenged books from your local library or bookstore.
- Join our Banned Books Reading Challenge right here on Bookfinity.
- Sign a local or national petition like the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Pledge.
- Attend a public intellectual freedom meeting or town hall in your community.
- Purchase banned books T-shirts or merch from nonprofits like the ACLU.
By participating in Banned Books Week and fighting book bans, you're helping to ensure that all readers and all authors have a voice. Everyone can choose what books they want to read without removing others from the shelf.