Ghost Boys / Lists

This was the fourth top category of banned books according to Pen America (https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/)

Metadata on books included:

“Ghost Boys” By Jewell Parker Rhodes
This story is about a 12-year-old boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistook his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost, Jerome observes his family’s and communities’ devastation and the rise of a movement. This story is often banned because of discussions of race and racism.

“The Hate U Give” By Angie Thomas
This best-selling debut novel, The Hate U Give, follows a teenage girl who, after witnessing her Black friend killed by the police, grapples with the aftermath of his death. The novel eventually became a film in 2018 and is a sobering story of racism, police brutality and activism. This is another book frequently banned for discussing racism by police.

"Out of Darkness" By Ashley Hope Pérez
This novel is set in the 1930s and chronicles a love affair between two teenagers, a young Mexican American girl and an African American boy in East Texas. This has been banned because of sexually explicit content and themes of interracial relationships.

"Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
This graphic novel is about Native youth Arnold Junior, his life on the Spokane Indian Reservation and his decision to go to a nearly all-white public high school away from the reservation. It is often banned due to issues of race and racism.

"The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s first novel, this book tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old African American girl who is convinced that she is ugly and that the only way to change her rough circumstances is to have lighter skin and blue eyes. This is often banned because of discussions of race as well as sexuality and abuse.

"Separate Is Never Equal: Slyvia Mendez and her Family’s Fight for Desegregation" By Duncan Tonatiuh
Set in the late 1940s, this book is about a character named Sylvia Mendez who is forced to overcome the ills of segregation when her family moves to California and is turned away from attending the neighborhood school. This has been banned widely due to perceived anti-police propaganda and discussions of racial issues.

This was the top category of banned books according to Pen America (https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/)

Metadata for books included:

“Lucky” by Alice Sebold
This is a memoir written by the author of the popular book "The Lovely Bones". In this memoir Sebold details in explicit detail her rape and brutal assault while a freshman in the 1980’s. While the depiction of sexual assault is the reason for its banning, it is really about what happens after and her experiences navigating family, friends, the medical establishment and the legal system.

“The Sun and Her Flowers” by Rupi Kaur
This is the poet's second book of poetry, a follow-up to the immensely popular "Milk and Honey”, which was also widely banned when released. This collection, like the first, touches on themes of abuse, trauma, infanticide and violence.

“The 57 bus” by Dashka Slater
This controversial nonfiction book for teens tells the story of an agender teen who was set on fire by another teen while riding a bus in Oakland, California. It has been banned because of its themes of race and gender.

“Ghost Boys” By Jewell Parker Rhodes
This story is about a 12-year-old boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistook his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost, Jerome observes his family’s and communities’ devastation and the rise of a movement. This story is often banned because of discussions of race and racism.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” By Jay Asher
The original book that inspired the widely popular Netflix series in 2017 is about a young high school freshman’s motivations behind her suicide, disturbingly portrays the devastating repercussions of experiencing trauma in adolescence. This has been banned because of sexual discussions and suicide.

“The Hate U Give” By Angie Thomas
This best-selling debut novel, The Hate U Give, follows a teenage girl who, after witnessing her Black friend killed by the police, grapples with the aftermath of his death. The novel eventually became a film in 2018 and is a sobering story of racism, police brutality and activism. This is another book frequently banned for discussing racism by police.

This was the third top category of banned books according to Pen America (https://pen.org/report/banned-in-the-usa-state-laws-supercharge-book-suppression-in-schools/)

Metadata for books included:

“Thirteen Reasons Why” By Jay Asher
The original book that inspired the widely popular Netflix series in 2017 is about a young high school freshman’s motivations behind her suicide, disturbingly portrays the devastating repercussions of experiencing trauma in adolescence. This has been banned because of sexual discussions and suicide.

“Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” by Jesse Andrews
This is a novel about a socially awkward high school senior who, along with his friend and fellow amateur filmmaker, befriends a classmate who is dying of leukemia. Though the novel is very popular, it has been frequently banned due to complaints about sexually explicit content as well as discussions of death and dying deemed inappropriate.

“The Sun and Her Flowers” by Rupi Kaur
This is the poet's second book of poetry, a follow-up to the immensely popular "Milk and Honey”, which was also widely banned when released. This collection, like the first, touches on themes of abuse, trauma, infanticide and violence.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” by Stephen Chbosky
This book which later became a movie is about a socially awkward teen named Charlie who is always watching life from the sidelines, until he meets two charismatic students and gets into a series of misadventures. This is often banned because of its discussions of sexuality.

“Lucky” by Alice Sebold
This is a memoir written by the author of the popular book "The Lovely Bones". In this memoir Sebold details in explicit detail her rape and brutal assault while a freshman in the 1980’s. While the depiction of sexual assault is the reason for its banning, it is really about what happens after and her experiences navigating family, friends, the medical establishment and the legal system.

“Ghost Boys” By Jewell Parker Rhodes
This story is about a 12-year-old boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistook his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost, Jerome observes his family’s and communities’ devastation and the rise of a movement. This story is often banned because of discussions of race and racism.

“The Hate U Give” By Angie Thomas
This best-selling debut novel, The Hate U Give, follows a teenage girl who, after witnessing her Black friend killed by the police, grapples with the aftermath of his death. The novel eventually became a film in 2018 and is a sobering story of racism, police brutality and activism. This is another book frequently banned for discussing racism by police.

Texas has the most book challenges in 2023 according to the ALA (https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/book-ban-data)

The books on this list were taken from Houstonia Magazine (https://www.houstoniamag.com/arts-and-culture/banned-books-in-texas-schools)

Metadata for books included:

"Separate Is Never Equal: Slyvia Mendez and her Family’s Fight for Desegregation" By Duncan Tonatiuh
Set in the late 1940s, this book is about a character named Sylvia Mendez who is forced to overcome the ills of segregation when her family moves to California and is turned away from attending the neighborhood school. This has been banned widely due to perceived anti-police propaganda and discussions of racial issues.

"What If It’s Us" By Adam Silvera and Becky Albertalli
This YA comedy novel is about two young men named Ben and Arthur and how a scheduled summer in New York turns into a queer romance story. The reasons cited for banning this novel are homosexuality and sexually explicit content.

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" by Jesse Andrews
This is a novel about a socially awkward high school senior who, along with his friend and fellow amateur filmmaker, befriends a classmate who is dying of leukemia. Though the novel is very popular, it has been frequently banned due to complaints about sexually explicit content as well as discussions of death and dying deemed inappropriate.

"Thirteen Reasons Why" By Jay Asher
The original book that inspired the widely popular Netflix series in 2017 is about a young high school freshman’s motivations behind her suicide, disturbingly portrays the devastating repercussions of experiencing trauma in adolescence. This has been banned because of sexual discussions and suicide.

"Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents" By Isabel Wilkerson
Although one of the rare nonfiction banned books, this book by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson about the American class system and its impacts on our society has been banned because of “racially insensitive language”.

"Lawn Boy" By Jonathan Evison
The YA story is about a character named Mike trying to understand a sexual encounter he had as a 10-year-old at a youth group meeting with another 10-year-old boy. This has been widely banned for perceived profanity, pornography and homosexuality.

"Gender Queer: A Memoir" By Maia Kobabe
This is one of the most banned book in the U.S. This graphic novel depicts Kobabe’s personal journey with gender identity and sexual orientation. This book discusses the authors journey from the confusion of adolescent crushes to the struggles of coming out, bonding with friends over erotic gay fanfiction and facing traumas.

"Out of Darkness" By Ashley Hope Pérez
This novel is set in the 1930s and chronicles a love affair between two teenagers, a young Mexican American girl and an African American boy in East Texas. This has been banned because of sexually explicit content and themes of interracial relationships.

"Ghost Boys" By Jewell Parker Rhodes
This story is about a 12-year-old boy named Jerome who is shot and killed by a police officer who mistook his toy gun for a real one. As a ghost, Jerome observes his family’s and communities’ devastation and the rise of a movement. This story is often banned because of discussions of race and racism.

"The Hate U Give" By Angie Thomas
This best-selling debut novel follows a teenage girl who, after witnessing her Black friend killed by the police, grapples with the aftermath of his death. The novel became a film in 2018 and is a sobering story of racism, police brutality and activism. This is another book frequently banned for discussing racism by police.