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Banned Books

Mightier than the Sword

Words have power. Throughout history and down to the present, literature has been used as a tool for control and liberation.

Literature to Control

On one hand, literature has been used as a tool of spiritual reformation. During America's colonial period, texts and sermons were used to develop literacy skills among incarcerated people, who were compelled to read from the Bible as an act of penitence. The act of reading was often performed publicly prior to an inmate's execution. These public perfomances imposed the spiritual and social correctness of literacy and reading. The spectacle of "literary practice [was] socially and spiritually correct" in America's colonial society (Schorb). The Bible itself eventually became too dangerous for some, specifically enslaved people, to be allowed to read, lest it would inspire ideas of liberation and incite rebellion. In 1807, a new version of the Bible was published, which excluded 90% of the Old Testament and 50% of the New Testament. Literacy was further curtailed by the passage of anti-literacy laws, which prevented enslaved and free African Americans from learning to read and write.

Then, after emancipation, the US penitentiary system was born as a means of re-enslaving the newly emancipated Black population. The basis of the penitentiary system was two-fold: reformation through literacy and redemption through labor. With this system in place, penitentiaries partnered with librarians to formalize the regulation and restriction of literature in prisons (Austin).

Since the 19th century, the field of children's literature has been dominated by white authors, illustrators, and publishers. During the Antebellum, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow periods, children's book creators introduced and popularized anti-Black characters such as Uncle Remus, Nicodemus and the Gang, Golliwog, and Pickannies. These characters were patterned after minstrel performances and instilled anti-Black ideologies in children, beginning at very young ages. The characters, illustrations, and language used in these books communicate to children of races and ethnicities that Blackness is less than human. Many of the anti-Black ideologies and tropes are found in present-day society and media representations which equate Blackness with laziness, dirtiness, criminality, sexual immorality, and a lack of intelligence, history, and culture. The representations read on the page were then reflected back to children in the daily treatment they observed, experienced, and/or were party to in the treatment of Black people.

Literature to Liberate

Just as literature has been and continues to be used as a tool of oppression, literature is also a tool and strategy of liberation. For example, in 1825, William Grimes of Litchfield, Connecticut created a new genre of American literature when he wrote an account of his life in captivity and as a fugitive from slavery. It's considered the first narrative of enslavement published in the United States, with many others following in Grimes' footsteps. This genre of literature was significant to the anti-slavery and abolitionist movements; the authors' testimonies provided a first-hand account of the brutality and horrors of chattel slavery and contradicted pro-slavery propaganda.

In the early 20th century, Black authors and illustrators began publishing their own children's books. Black authors and illustrators were responding directly to racist representations in popular literature and other media by:

  • Writing about Black historical figures and heroes
  • Depicting everyday life and the complexity of Black experiences, from Black perspective
  • Creating complex characters
  • Illustrating the skin, hair, and features of characters with love and care

The literature bans sweeping the US education and prisons demonstrates the vitality of literature and learning in the pursuit and maintenance of democracy.

Sources & Additional Reading:

Banned Books Lists

Report Book Censorship to ALA

Commonly Challenged Books

Graphic by Stephanie Birch. CC BY-NC 4.0, Rad Little Library, 2023.

Accessing Books on this List: Most books listed below link to WorldCat, the world's largest library catalog. Using this tool, you can see if the desired book is available in your local library or a library near you. If the desired book is not available in a library near you, contact your local library to request an interlibrary loan. Book titles followed by an asterisk (*) are available to read full-text online via the link provided. Don't have a library card? Learn more: Getting a Library Card

Banned Books in Prisons

Graphic by Stephanie Birch. CC BY-NC 4.0, Rad Little Library, 2023.

The process of banning books in prisons and other carceral systems is different than that of schools and libraries. State and federal prison agencies often implement multiple policies and processes that work together to restrict inmates' access to information. Book banning in prisons, as in other contexts, disproportionately targets minoritized populations on the basis of race, gender, religion, sexuality, and political ideology. Many titles that have been commonly challenged in schools and public libraries are also banned in prisons, further demonstrating that book bans are not about protecting children. The purpose of book banning, as demonstrated by prisons, is to confine the mind.

Accessing Books on this List: Most books listed below link to WorldCat, the world's largest library catalog. Using this tool, you can see if the desired book is available in your local library or a library near you. If the desired book is not available in a library near you, contact your local library to request an interlibrary loan. Book titles followed by an asterisk (*) are available to read full-text online via the link provided. Don't have a library card? Learn more: Getting a Library Card

Learn more:

Policy & Legislation Resources

  • African American Policy Forum - A leading civil rights policy organization, directed by critical race theorist, Kimberlé Crenshaw.
  • Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools - a national report by PEN America on US legislation to limit education and the freedom to read
  • EveryLibrary Legislation Tracker - monitoring state legislation during the 2023-2024 session that would limit Americans' freedom to read and think for themselves. Of most concern are proposed laws that would allow for civil and criminal prosecution of librarians, educators, higher ed. faculty, and museum professionals.
  • PEN International - A non-governmental organization, founded in 1921, supporting unhampered transmission of thought within each nation and between all nations
  • World Press Freedom Day - Organized by UNESCO for the past 30 years, since May 3rd was proclaimed an international day of press freedom by the UN General Assembly.
Map of enacted anti-CRT legislation. African American Policy Forum. February 2023.
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