Banned Books Home

Banned Book Week: October 1-October 7, 2023

Most Frequently Challenged Books of 2022-2023

  1. Gender Queer by Mai Kobabe
  2. All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson
  3. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
  4. Flamer by Mike Curato
  5. Looking for Alaska by John Green
  6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
  7. Lawn Boy: A Novel by Jonathan Evison
  8. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie
  9. Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez
  10. A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
  11. Crank by Ellen Hopkins
  12. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews
  13. This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson

General Information

Marshall University does not ban books! The information is provided to let people know what has been banned/challenged elsewhere.

From October 1-7, 2023, the Marshall University Libraries will be observing Banned Book Week with a display in the Drinko Library and an updated website. The theme this year is “Let Freedom Read!”

Visit the website or stop by the display on the first floor of Drinko to see what has been challenged or banned over the past year. Contact Ron Titus at 696-6575 or library@marshall.edu with questions.

Banned Books Week (BBW) celebrates the freedom to choose and the freedom to express one’s opinion even if that opinion might be considered unorthodox or unpopular, stressing the importance of ensuring the availability of those viewpoints to all who wish to read them. It is sponsored by the American Booksellers Association, the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression, the American Library Association (ALA), the Association of American Publishers, the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Association of College Stores. It is endorsed by the Library of Congress’ Center for the Book.

Material for this page was obtained from the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom and ALA’s Journal of Intellectual Freedom and Privacy Vol. 7 (1-4).

On These Books

A Banned book has been removed from a library, classroom, etc.
A Challenged book has been requested to be removed from a library, classroom, etc.

For additional information contact

Ron Titus, titus@marshall.edu
304-696-6575

Last updated

August 23, 2023