PHOTO BY DARINA BELONOGOVA
01
Modern Classics, Frequently Banned.
These are the books that shaped generations and disrupted the systems that feared them. Banned, censored, and condemned, they continue to challenge authority, reveal truth, and defend the freedom to think for yourself. Each one a reminder that expression leads to understanding, that creativity inspires community, and that ideas are stronger than those who try to silence them.
1984
By George Orwell
In a world where the government controls truth, one man quietly resists. The novel exposes the dangers of censorship, surveillance, and authoritarian control.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
By Maya Angelou
A young Black girl overcomes trauma, racism, and silence to find her voice. Angelou’s memoir celebrates resilience and the transformative power of language.
TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD
By Harper Lee
A White lawyer defends a Black man falsely accused of rape in the segregated South. Through a child’s eyes, the novel confronts racial injustice and the loss of innocence.
The Catcher in
the Rye
By J.D. Salinger
A grieving teenager wanders New York City, struggling with disillusionment and identity.
The novel captures adolescent alienation with raw honesty and emotional depth.
The Color Purple
By Alice Walker
A Black woman in the American South reclaims her voice after years of abuse and silence. The book confronts racism, sexism, and trauma with profound emotional and cultural power.
Lord of the Flies
By William Golding
A group of boys stranded on an island descend into violence and savagery. The novel reveals the fragility of civilization and the darkness within human nature.
The Great Gatsby
By F. Scott Fitzgerald
A mysterious millionaire chases a dream of love and status in 1920s America. This iconic novel critiques the illusions of wealth, class, and the American Dream.
Of Mice and Men
By John Steinbeck
Two migrant workers chase a fragile dream of stability in Depression-era California. The story explores friendship, loneliness, and the brutal limits of the American promise.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
By Ken Kesey
A rebellious patient challenges the dehumanizing control of a mental institution.The book critiques institutional power and celebrates the fight for personal freedom.
Ray Bradbury
1959
“You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.”
— Ray Bradbury (interview, circa 1979)
Toni Morrison
1970
“Oppressive language does more than represent violence; it is violence; does more than represent the limits of knowledge; it limits knowledge.”
— Toni Morrison, Nobel Lecture, 1993
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Maya Angelou
Los Angeles 1971
"Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning."
― Maya Angelou,
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
READ BANNED BOOKS.
Banned books contain the truths the fearful and the fragile are desperate to keep from you. They challenge, ignite, expand. They make you feel more, know more, become more. That’s why they’re dangerous. That’s why they’re targeted. When cultural landlords limit what you read, they limit what you can imagine—about yourself, about others, about what’s possible.
Don’t let them shrink your mind to fit their fears. Read banned books.
VOICE IS POWER. READING IS PROTEST. ART IS FREEDOM.
02
Frequently Banned Books on Racism.
These stories tear at the roots of American myth. They speak truth to a history built on silence, laying bare the systems that divide and the humanity that endures. Read them to recognize, to challenge, and to refuse the lies that power depends on.
The Bluest Eye
By Toni Morrison
A young Black girl in 1940s Ohio longs for blue eyes, believing whiteness equals beauty. The novel forces readers to confront how racism and beauty standards distort identity and self-worth.
The Fire Next Time
By James Baldwin
In two piercing essays, Baldwin examines race, religion, and the American promise through the lens of personal experience. The book speaks with prophetic clarity about justice, identity, and the moral reckoning that still confronts the nation.
The Hate U Give
By Angie Thomas
After witnessing a police officer shoot her unarmed friend, a Black teen finds her voice in protest. This contemporary novel gives powerful insight into systemic racism and youth activism.
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You
By Jason Reynolds & Ibram X. Kendi
This remix of Kendi’s original work traces the history of racist ideas in America for young readers. It equips a new generation with tools to recognize and challenge systemic injustice.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
By Mildred D. Taylor
A Black family in Depression-era Mississippi faces threats to their land and dignity. The novel depicts racism, resistance, and the strength of family through a child’s perspective.
Between the World and Me
By Ta-Nehisi Coates
Written as a letter to his son, Coates reflects on Black life, fear, and survival in America. This memoir offers a personal, poetic account of generational trauma and national identity.
Monster
By Walter Dean Myers
A Black teenager on trial for murder grapples with how others see him—and how he sees himself. Told in screenplay format, the book challenges assumptions about justice, guilt, and humanity.
All American Boys
By Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
Two teens—one Black, one White—reckon with police brutality and complicity after a violent incident. The dual narrative asks urgent questions about race, truth, and responsibility.
Dear Martin
By Nic Stone
A high-achieving Black student writes letters to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. after a violent encounter with police. This novel explores double standards, media narratives, and what it means to be seen.
03
Banned for Questioning Authority.
Books that refused obedience. These are the voices that asked the wrong questions, exposed the right truths, and challenged every illusion of control. Together, they form a lineage of defiance from the classroom to the streets.
Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley
In a future where pleasure replaces freedom, a society is kept docile through drugs, conditioning, and conformity. The novel critiques consumerism, control, and the cost of trading truth for comfort.
Fahrenheit 451
By Ray Bradbury
In a world where books are illegal, a fireman tasked with burning them begins to question everything. Ironically banned for its themes, the book defends knowledge, dissent, and the soul of literature.
Animal Farm
By George Orwell
Farm animals overthrow their human oppressors, only to find new tyranny in the revolution’s wake. This political fable lays bare how power corrupts—and how revolutions can betray their ideals.
The Handmaid’s Tale
By Margaret Atwood
In a theocratic future, women are forced into reproductive servitude in a rigid patriarchal regime. The story remains a stark warning about authoritarianism, control over bodies, and the erasure of rights.
V for Vendetta
By Alan Moore & David Lloyd
A masked anarchist wages war against a fascist regime in a dystopian England. This graphic novel champions resistance and the enduring power of ideas.
Anthem
By Ayn Rand
In a collectivist world that forbids individuality, one man rediscovers the word “I.” Often assigned and often banned, it defends selfhood and intellectual freedom.
The Giver
By Lois Lowry
In a colorless, controlled society without memory or pain, a boy inherits all the world’s hidden truths. This deceptively simple novel asks what we lose when we trade freedom for safety.
Persepolis
By Marjane Satrapi
This graphic memoir recounts the author's coming of age in post-revolutionary Iran. Through humor and pain, it humanizes dissent and preserves memory against repression.
The Outsiders
By S.E. Hinton
A group of working-class teens push back against a society that marginalizes them. Often banned for language and violence, it’s a powerful expression of youth, loyalty, and defiance.
04
Banned Books on LGBTQ+ Identity
These are the stories that refuse to hide and cannot be silenced. They celebrate identity, love, and the right to exist fully. They’re proof that authenticity itself can be an act of rebellion.
Gender Queer
By Maia Kobabe
This graphic memoir traces one person's journey to understand their gender and identity outside the binary. Often the most challenged book in the country, it offers a deeply personal lens into queerness, coming of age, and self-definition.
All Boys Aren’t Blue
By George M. Johnson
A memoir-manifesto blending personal stories and urgent truths about Black queer identity. It’s a bold, vulnerable exploration of family, masculinity, and the right to exist fully.
Two Boys Kissing
By David Levithan
As two boys try to break a world record with a public kiss, the spirits of queer men lost to AIDS narrate their lives. The book honors past struggle while celebrating queer love, memory, and defiance.
This Book Is Gay
By Juno Dawson
A frank and humorous guide to LGBTQ+ identity, sex, coming out, and pride. Often targeted for being direct, it affirms young people’s right to honest, inclusive information.
Fun Home
By Alison Bechdel
This graphic memoir explores Bechdel’s coming of age, her sexuality, and her closeted father’s mysterious life. It’s a layered, literary meditation on identity, family, and the stories we inherit.
Melissa
By Alex Gino (formerly George)
Melissa is a transgender girl who wants to play Charlotte in her school play—but everyone sees her as a boy. Written for young readers, this gentle story affirms gender identity and the importance of being seen.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower
By Stephen Chbosky
A shy teen navigates trauma, friendship, and sexual identity in a stream-of-consciousness coming-of-age story. The novel has been banned for its openness—but speaks powerfully to surviving adolescence with empathy and truth.
A Court of Mist and Fury
By Sarah J. Maas
This fantasy sequel expands into themes of trauma, healing, and queer representation among its cast of powerful beings. Though often challenged for explicit scenes, it has helped redefine who belongs in epic narratives.
Felix Ever After
By Kacen Callender
Felix, a Black, transgender teen, searches for love and identity while facing online harassment and self-doubt. The book is a vibrant, messy, and heartfelt celebration of trans resilience and self-love.
DO
SOMETHING
01 Read one. 02 Gift one. 03 Gift two. 04 Host a banned book reading. At your house, at your school, at a café. Stream it if you have to. 05 Start a banned book club with friends. Start one with strangers. 06 Leave a banned book in public, with a note inside. 07 Donate a banned book to a school. Donate another to a library. 08 Talk about what you’ve read. 09 Share a line that stayed with you. IN PERSON. ON SOCIAL. 10 Listen when someone else shares theirs. 11 Pass a BANNED book on. 12 Trade STORIES. 13 Trade ideas.
The loudest ideas live in quiet places.
HAVE IDEAS? WANT TO COLLABORATE?
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Read Banned Books is a project by LANDER® Design Studios.
SUPPORT
Read Banned Books
is a project by
LANDER® Design Studios.
A portion of each apparel sale supports organizations dedicated to protecting freedom and advancing the common good. Purchases are not tax-deductible.
