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Books can entertain us, comfort us, challenge us, and introduce us to people and perspectives we may never encounter otherwise. That’s why the freedom to read matters. In honor of Banned Books Week (October 4–10), we’re celebrating stories that have been challenged across libraries, bookstores, and schools—and our freedom to seek them out, experience them, and decide what we think for ourselves.
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Let Books Be: Two Must-Read Novels
These impactful stories are two of America's most challenged books. This Banned Books Week, we encourage you to discover them for yourself.
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Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi leaves her poor mountain home in Nepal thinking that she will be working in the city as a maid only to find that she has been sold into the sex slave trade in India. Patricia McCormick's powerful novel topped 2025's most-challenged list largely due to its depiction of sexual exploitation—the difficult subject at the heart of a story that gives voice to an often-hidden reality.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Through letters to an anonymous friend, Charlie navigates friendship, first love, trauma, and growing up. Stephen Chbosky's coming-of-age classic has frequently been challenged for its depictions of sexual abuse, drug use, and LGBTQ+ themes, yet its honest approach to adolescence has resonated with readers for decades.
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When Censorship Takes Over
What happens when controlling what people can read becomes a way of controlling what they think? These dystopian stories imagine frightening worlds where censorship has become the norm.
1984
Available to rent on Prime Video
In a totalitarian future where the government controls information, rewrites history, and watches its citizens' every move, Winston Smith quietly begins to rebel. John Hurt and Richard Burton star in this chilling adaptation of George Orwell's influential novel which continues to serve as an enduring warning about censorship and surveillance.
Fahrenheit 451
Streaming on HBO Max
In a future where books are outlawed and burned, fireman Guy Montag begins questioning the system he's supposed to uphold. Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon star in HBO's adaptation of Ray Bradbury's classic, a fitting Banned Books Week watch about the dangers of suppressing knowledge and independent thought.
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Challenged Books With Unforgettable Adaptations
Attempts to restrict these stories haven't stopped them from finding even bigger audiences—on both the page and the screen.
Looking for Alaska
Miles Halter's life changes when he arrives at boarding school and meets the fascinating, unpredictable Alaska Young. John Green's coming-of-age bestseller has frequently faced challenges over sexual content, drinking, and profanity, but its powerful exploration of friendship, grief, guilt, and growing up has connected with readers for two decades.
A Clockwork Orange
In a dystopian future, teenage delinquent Alex commits horrific acts of violence before undergoing experimental treatment designed to reform him. Anthony Burgess' provocative classic has faced challenges due to its graphic violence and sexual content, but its unsettling questions about free will, morality, and society's power to control individuals remain fiercely relevant.
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