Banned Books Week 2022 (Top Ten Tuesday): Banned Books To Read This Fall

Hey everyone, and welcome to the third day of Banned Books Week!

Since today is Tuesday, it’s time for another Top Ten Tuesday… but I’m putting my own twist on the prompt.

This week’s prompt is about books on my Fall TBR, but since we’re focusing on banned books this week, I decided to create a list of banned books to read this fall. It will be a mix of books I’ve already read and recommend, along with books I want to read this season. I’m trying to not make this post too long (I’m a bit unsuccessful though👀), so I’m also going to link a bunch of articles, and even some of my own posts.

Jana from That Artsy Reader Girl hosts Top Ten Tuesdays every week, so go check out her blog (where you’ll also find more bloggers who participated in that week’s round of Top Ten Tuesday)!

So, without further ado, let’s get into the list!

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The House Of The Spirits

So, this is actually a book I want to read this fall, and just recently acquired in the last month! I mention this later in the post, but this is a book that I go into more detail about in my 6 Banned Books To Read in October post. If you want to learn more about the specific history of The House Of The Spirits, be sure to check out that post!

If Beale Street Could Talk

I’m currently reading If Beale Street Could Talk, and it’s the first book of James Baldwin’s that I’ve read which has been interesting. It also was originally published on my birthday, which is pretty cool! I was trying to find the history of why it was challenged/banned, but still haven’t seen anything that explains it well 🤔 I found it on a banned/challenged books from Western Illinois University, but I don’t know if it’s banned from that library, or if it’s just a recommendation of banned/challenge books that are available to read. I also found it on this list of Banned Books by African-American Authors (that I recommend checking out), although it mainly focused on Baldwin’s debut novel, Go Tell It On The Mountain. If anyone has any information on why it was banned, feel free to let me know in the comments 😂

The Bluest Eye

Another book I’m hoping to get to this fall (and maybe within the next week… we’ll see haha). This is Toni Morrison’s first novel, and follows three young black girls growing up in Lorain, Ohio after the Great Depression. Due to its depictions of racism, incest, and child molestation, The Bluest Eye has been challenged/banned in many states such as Oregon, Colorado, Maryland, New Hampshire, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina, and Missouri. The Wikipedia article has a lot of great sources and information on The Bluest Eye, so I recommend starting there with your research 😉

The Hate U Give and All American Boys

When I read The Hate U Give a couple of years ago, I just couldn’t put it down. The story was so engaging and gripping, and it’s one I always recommend! Although, if you’ve already read The Hate U Give, then you should check out On The Come and Up by Angie Thomas. I also recommend All American Boys, as the back and forth narration switch between the two protagonists brings an interesting perspective to the story.

I grouped these two together, not just because both books are about police brutality, but also because they tend to be included in a lot of similar book challenging lists because they discuss the topic. One example is an interesting case from South Carolina, not because both books were challenged at the same time, but because they were challenged by the Fraternal Order of Police (read more about the case here).

Fahrenheit 451 and The Color Purple

Both of these books are classics that have spent quite some time on book banning/challenge lists. They’re great books, and I wrote about them during the last Banned Books Week I participated in, so you can check out the Fahrenheit 451 and The Color Purple articles for more information about their challenge/banning history.

Goosebumps and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark

As a kid, I loved both Goosebumps and Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark. Not surprisingly, these two series faced a lot of pushback from parents during the 90s due to cultural phenomenon’s such as the Satanic Panic. I also wrote about Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark and it’s history of challenges/ bans during my first Blog Everyday in October.

The Dead Zone

It’s probably no surprise that a Stephen King book made it on this list, especially as many of his books have been challenged for the same reason… mainly the “filthy language” and violence. I want to highlight this specific one though because I read this in high school for a 10-page thesis paper. I was originally going to do Salem’s Lot, but the librarian and my teacher were the ones who actually recommended The Dead Zone, as there is more to analyze and write about thematically. I just thought it was interesting, as it’s one thing to read Stephen King in high school during your free time, and another to read it for school, and have your teacher and librarian recommend what I should read 😂 If you want to read more about Stephen King’s book challenges, check out this article that gives a general overview (and also mentions The Dead Zone). I also go into more detail about its banning/challenge history in my 6 Banned Book To Read In October post.

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That’s about all I have for today! What are some of your favorite banned books that you read? Let me know in the comments below!

Otherwise, I will see you in the next post!

-Erin (: