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Rocco Staino

Chair, the Empire State Center for the Book and the Empire State Book Festival

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Ten Books About Censorship For Kids & Teens

Posted: 09/18/11 12:37 PM ET
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The annual event celebrating the freedom to read and the importance of the First Amendment, Banned Book Week is September 24th -- October 1st. Each year the list of frequently challenged books is highlighted and this year the American Library Association is encouraging people to participate in a Virtual Read-Out.

Despite the high visibility of the event, there are few stories for kids and young adults with censorship as the theme. To help celebrate Banned Book Week I have compiled a list of 10 books that deal with censorship in various areas.

Most of the books in the list date back to the 1980s & '90s with several of them out-of-print. Although there may be a dearth of books on the topic, I am happy to say that First Second Books has recently published Americus, a graphic novel, about taking a stand on censorship. The best is that is also available online at saveapathea.com just in time for Banned Book Week.

Fahrenheit 451
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Although author Ray Bradbury has been quoted stating that Fahrenheit 451 (Ballentine, 1953) was not about censorship, the dystopian novel is set in a society where reading is banned and books are burned. This book is found in many high school curricula and is a good starting point for discussion.
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On the one hand you've got authors, fiercely passionate about acknowledging the realities faced by teens and children no matter how dark or brutal. On the other you have adults willing to stand between that content and their child, to protect them and nurture them.

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Amaylah Anderson
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09:47 PM on 09/26/2011
Fahrenheit 451 is one of my favorite classic works. Although, I think it's more than tv that's affecting literacy; it's movies too.
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Wookiee1972
105 Fans
11:17 AM on 09/23/2011
Actually, Bradbury said that Fahrenheit 451 not only isn't about censorship - it's about TV as a threat to literacy. In today's world, I think it's clear he was right about TV, which is probably a bigger threat to literacy than censorship.
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robadeaux
Your labels have expired....
468 Fans
03:52 PM on 10/02/2011
Texting and computer games are more of a threat than TV...
but we'll evolve...
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Sally Barns
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10:08 PM on 09/21/2011
A good situation to look into is the incredible backlash from the right wing, against a book called "Keeley Thomson: Demon Girl" which I think is by K.L. Byron.

Their trying to pressure everyone to not read it and ban it at schools, as well as push the small time online publisher putting it out next month not to. It's kind of a mess.
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robadeaux
Your labels have expired....
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03:55 PM on 10/02/2011
Indeed, the books christians have banned are far better reading. Hard to know the ancient wisdom lost due to religiosity and book buring. Still, it would pay to read just a few of these, (or more, if you've got that much spare time...) to get the general idea of what is sometimes not-so-compassionate delusion.
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