Carry On / Lists

This was the fifth 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:

“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.

“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.

“All Boys Aren’t Blue” by George M. Johnson
This is a young adult nonfiction "memoir-manifesto" by the journalist and activist author. The book consists of a series of essays following Johnson's journey growing up as a queer Black man in New Jersey and Virginia. It is another of the most commonly banned books due to discussions of sexuality, gender.

“Beyond Magenta” by Susan Kucklin
For this collection of essays, the author met and interviewed six transgender or gender-neutral young adults, describing their sense of identity before, during, and after transitioning. This is often banned because of conversations about gender identity and sexuality.

“A Court of Thorns and Roses” by Sarah J. Maas
This is a popular series of fantasy novels about a young woman who is taken to a faerie kingdom at war. These books are banned in numerous school districts around the country because they contain sex scenes and themes of abusive relationships.

“Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell
This story follows the final year of magical schooling for Simon Snow, who is prophesied to defeat the evil force that has been wreaking havoc for years. This novel is very up front about having queer characters and thus has been banned because of gender and sexuality discussions.

"This Book is Gay" by James Dawson
This book is a memoir about a young person coming to terms with her sexuality and her 'coming out', as well as her first relationship. This is often banned because of conversations about gender identity and sexuality.

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

The books on this list were chosen from The Tennessean (https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/education/2023/07/17/tennessee-book-bans-here-are-the-titles-challenged-in-the-state/70407318007/)

Metadata for books included:

“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.

“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 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.

“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.

"A Court of Thorns and Roses" by Sarah J. Maas
This is a popular series of fantasy novels about a young woman who is taken to a faerie kingdom at war. These books are banned in numerous school districts around the country because they contain sex scenes and themes of abusive relationships.

“Carry On” by Rainbow Rowell
This story follows the final year of magical schooling for Simon Snow, who is prophesied to defeat the evil force that has been wreaking havoc for years. This novel is very up front about having queer characters and thus has been banned because of gender and sexuality discussions.

My Ultimate YA Book List