Banned Books That Shaped America

Have you read The Great Gatsby? What about Moby Dick or Gone with the Wind? If so, these are just a few of the thousands of titles that have been banned at some point by a school, library or other organization for inappropriate content. 

Each year, hundreds of books are challenged and subsequently reported to the American Library Association. Often, the books that make it on ALA’s Challenged Books list, are the same books that have a profound impact on society and the way its readers view the world. ALA recently released its Top Ten Challenged Books of 2016 which included books like Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell and This One Summer by Mariko Tamaki. 

 Artwork courtesy of the American Library Association, ala.org/bbooks/NLW-Top10 

In 2012, the Library of Congress created an exhibition of Books That Shaped America “to spark a national conversation on books and their importance in Americans’ lives.” This year, the Banned Books Coalition cross-referenced this list with ALA’s Challenged Books lists to create a list of Banned Books That Shaped America. This list inspired the display below, which can be spotted on the third floor of the Ort Library. 

Celebrate your freedom to read by picking up one of these titles at the library today!