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Banned Books

Explore a list of top banned & censored books of yesterday and today.

Art Spiegelman's "Maus"

Art Spiegelman's Pulitzer Prize—winning graphic novel is a cat-and-mouse retelling of the Holocaust, a bold reinvention of the comic book that has generated widespread acclaim and, more recently, controversy.

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Maus I & II Paperback Box Set

by Art Spiegelman

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Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History

by Art Spiegelman

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The Complete Maus: A Survivor's Tale

by Art Spiegelman

The Books They Don't Want You to Read

Express your love for literature and celebrate the freedom to read with banned books-themed gifts.

B&N Reads

Books Build Empathy: A Guest Post from George M. Johnson, Author of All Boys Aren’t Blue and the Honorary Chair of Banned Books Week 2022

George M. Johnson

Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us: Banned Books Week 2022

Brittany Bunzey

7 Banned Books That Should Be Required Reading

natashaochshorn

Browse Banned Books

What are Banned Books?

Books were being banned in countries across the world long before the first public libraries appeared in parts of America. Typically, books were banned on moral, religious, or political grounds. They were believed to be obscene or too controversial to be read by society. Although we usually think of classics like George Orwell’s 1984 when referring to books that were banned, there are still many books being challenged and censored every year. Books that explore race, sexuality, and new concepts and ideas are still often prohibited by certain communities, although they can easily be purchased in most bookstores. Even Pulitzer Prize winning books like Art Spiegelman’s Maus, world-wide bestsellers like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, and household staples like Harry Potter have recently been challenged and restricted. The good news is that we have an extensive list of banned books that are available to read today. Explore our list of the top banned & challenged books in libraries and schools at Barnes & Noble.

Top Banned & Challenged Books You Should Probably Read Immediately:

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Lord of the Flies by William Golding
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
1984 by George Orwell
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling
Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini