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Separate is never equal / Lists

This work is on 3 lists.

  • Cover of: Include characters of color or discuss race and racism

    Include characters of color or discuss race and racism

    by Lucas Wentworth
    6 items Last modified December 7, 2023

    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.

  • Cover of: Texas

    Texas

    by Lucas Wentworth
    10 items Last modified December 7, 2023

    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.

  • Cover of: texas-challenged-books

    texas-challenged-books

    by AgentSapphire
    824 items Last modified February 16, 2023

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