Banned Books Week 2025: The Banned Books I Grew Up On

 

The 'Banned' List I Grew Up On







The conversation around the Most Banned Books of the 2024-2025 School Year is deeply personal. I read many titles on this list—some required, most self-selected—from middle school all the way through graduate school.

My reading list included (this is by no means ALL of the banned books that I've read):

  1. A Clockwork Orange

  2. A Court of Mist and Fury

  3. Crank

  4. Forever...

  5. The Perks of Being a Wallflower

  6. A Court of Thorns and Roses

  7. A Clash of Kings

  8. The Handmaid's Tale

  9. Looking for Alaska

  10. Water for Elephants

  11. Clockwork Angel

  12. City of Ashes

  13. City of Bones

  14. Laughing at My Nightmare

  15. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

  16. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies 

  17. The Lost Symbol 

  18. Sideways Stories from Wayside School

  19. Wait Til Helen Comes

  20. Eleanor and Park 

  21. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

  22. Flowers for Algernon

  23. Flowers in the Attic 

  24. Outlander

  25. Slaughterhouse-Five

  26. Speak





















The shocking twist? I emerged as a fully functioning member of society who can differentiate right from wrong and employ critical thinking skills.

I credit this constant exposure to challenging literature—reading above my age level and seeking out books that tested my core belief systems—with my achievements: a 4.0 in graduate school, landing a job as the youngest employee (at the time) at the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, successfully running historical society groups, and leading my Parish's Youth Group for five years.

Banned books do not rot your child’s brain. They build it.

Trust your school's teachers and librarians. They are the experts in offering age- and skill-appropriate resources. I was reading John Grisham's crime novels in 6th grade. It's fine. I promise.

See the full list here

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