Florida’s 20 Most Frequently Banned Books (BannedInFlorida.Club)
THEY DON’T WANT YOU TO READ THESE
The Top 20 Most Banned Books in Florida Schools (2023-2025)
Florida leads the nation in book banning. Over 2,300 instances of censorship have removed these titles from school libraries across the state—more than any other state in America.
Why ban books? Because they challenge. Because they question. Because they tell stories some people don’t want you to hear.
We believe in your right to read. Below are the books Florida schools have worked hardest to keep from students. Click any cover to get your copy and read what they don’t want you to know.
Purchases through these links support independent voices fighting censorship.
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1. Gender Queer: A Memoir
by Maia Kobabe
Why it’s banned: LGBTQ+ memoir exploring gender identity
Banned in: 31+ Florida counties
Awards: ALA Alex Award, Stonewall Book Award
This groundbreaking graphic memoir chronicles Kobabe’s journey of self-discovery through the early stages of eir life, from adolescence to adulthood. Through honest illustrations and candid storytelling, Gender Queer explores the author’s experience with gender identity, using e/em/eir pronouns, and coming to understand emself as nonbinary and asexual. The book offers a deeply personal look at the challenges of navigating gender expectations, family dynamics, and the search for language to describe one’s own experience. It has become an essential resource for LGBTQ+ youth and anyone questioning their gender identity, which is precisely why it’s become one of the most challenged books in America.
2. All Boys Aren’t Blue
by George M. Johnson
Why it’s banned: Black queer memoir
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Description: Coming-of-age essays about growing up Black and queer in America
Part memoir, part manifesto, this powerful collection of personal essays explores what it’s like growing up Black and queer in America. Johnson shares formative moments from childhood through college—from first loves and losses to battles with toxic masculinity and encounters with racism and homophobia. Written as a series of personal essays addressed to Johnson’s teenage self and other young Black queer people, the book tackles difficult subjects including sexual assault, police brutality, and family acceptance with raw honesty and hope. Johnson’s conversational style makes complex issues accessible while offering validation to readers who see their own experiences reflected in these pages.
3. The Bluest Eye
by Toni Morrison
Why it’s banned: Addresses racism and sexual violence
Banned in: 31+ Florida counties
Author: Nobel Prize-winning novelist Toni Morrison
Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s devastating first novel tells the story of Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old Black girl in 1940s Ohio who believes that having blue eyes—the conventional standard of beauty—will make her loved and accepted. Through Pecola’s tragic tale, Morrison explores how internalized racism and impossible beauty standards destroy Black girls’ sense of self-worth. The novel unflinchingly examines colorism, poverty, sexual abuse, and the psychological damage inflicted by white supremacy. Morrison’s lyrical prose and compassionate storytelling created a masterpiece that remains painfully relevant today, challenging readers to confront the ongoing impact of racism on children’s lives and self-perception.
4. Tricks
by Ellen Hopkins
Why it’s banned: Addresses teen prostitution
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Most banned book: 2022-2023 school year nationwide
In this unflinching novel told through verse, five teenagers from different backgrounds find themselves trapped in the world of prostitution in Las Vegas. Hopkins tells their interconnected stories—why they ran away, how they were lured or forced into sex work, and their desperate attempts to survive and escape. Each character’s voice is distinct, their circumstances different, but all share the common thread of being failed by adults who should have protected them. Hopkins based the novel on extensive research and real stories, creating a raw, honest portrayal of teen exploitation that refuses to romanticize or sensationalize. The book serves as both a cautionary tale and a humanizing look at young people society often dismisses or ignores.
5. A Court of Mist and Fury
by Sarah J. Maas
Why it’s banned: Fantasy romance with mature themes
Banned in: 18+ Florida districts
Series: Court of Thorns and Roses (BookTok phenomenon)
The second book in Maas’s wildly popular fantasy romance series follows Feyre as she struggles with PTSD after the traumatic events of the first book. While planning her wedding to Tamlin, Feyre is secretly whisked away to the Night Court by the mysterious Rhysand, where she begins to heal and discover her own power. This book transforms from a Beauty and the Beast retelling into a story about recovering from trauma, recognizing toxic relationships, and finding true partnership. Featuring complex political intrigue, powerful friendships between women, and explicit romantic scenes, the novel explores consent, agency, and what it means to choose yourself. Its massive popularity on BookTok has made it a cultural phenomenon—and a frequent target of book banners who object to its mature content.
6. A Court of Thorns and Roses
by Sarah J. Maas
Why it’s banned: Fantasy romance
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
#1 New York Times Bestseller
Nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, only to be dragged to the magical land of Prythian as punishment—the wolf was a faerie in disguise. Imprisoned in a beautiful estate by the beast-like Tamlin, Feyre slowly discovers that a curse plagues the faerie lands and Tamlin himself. This adult fantasy romance retells Beauty and the Beast with a fierce, flawed heroine, morally complex characters, and a richly imagined magical world. As Feyre falls for Tamlin while trying to break the curse, she uncovers dangerous secrets about Prythian’s politics and her own hidden powers. The book’s combination of romance, action, and magic has captivated millions of readers, particularly young women, making it a publishing phenomenon—and a target for those who object to its sexual content and strong female protagonist.
7. The Perks of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky
Why it’s banned: Addresses mental health, sexuality, substance abuse
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Adapted: Major motion picture (2012)
Told through a series of letters to an anonymous recipient, this coming-of-age novel follows Charlie, an introverted freshman navigating the challenges of high school in the early 1990s. As Charlie befriends two charismatic seniors, Sam and Patrick, he experiences first love, experiments with drugs and alcohol, explores his sexuality, and begins confronting the traumatic childhood memories he’s repressed. Chbosky’s honest portrayal of teenage life includes discussions of mental illness, sexual abuse, homosexuality, and suicide—making it both deeply relatable to many teens and controversial to adults who’d prefer to pretend these issues don’t exist. The novel’s authentic voice and refusal to offer easy answers have made it a defining book for multiple generations of young readers trying to figure out who they are.
8. Nineteen Minutes
by Jodi Picoult
Why it’s banned: School shooting narrative
Most banned book: 2023-2024 school year (98 instances)
#1 New York Times Bestseller
In nineteen minutes, you can mow the front lawn, color your hair, or watch a third of a hockey game. In nineteen minutes, you can stop the world—or you can end it. Picoult’s powerful novel examines a school shooting from multiple perspectives: the shooter, his victims, their families, the community, and the justice system. Peter Houghton, bullied throughout his school years, opens fire in his high school cafeteria, killing ten people and wounding nineteen. Through flashbacks, courtroom scenes, and intimate character portraits, Picoult explores what drives someone to such violence, whether bullying victims can ever become victimizers, and how a community grapples with unthinkable tragedy. The novel asks difficult questions about culpability, justice, and whether anyone is beyond redemption, refusing to offer simplistic answers about one of America’s most pressing issues.
9. Looking for Alaska
by John Green
Why it’s banned: Teen sexuality, substance use
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Awards: Michael L. Printz Award
Miles “Pudge” Halter leaves his safe suburban life for boarding school in search of the “Great Perhaps.” There he meets Alaska Young—beautiful, clever, emotionally damaged, and utterly unpredictable. Along with his roommate and new friends, Miles gets swept into Alaska’s world of pranks, cigarettes, and late-night philosophical discussions. But when tragedy strikes, Miles and his friends must grapple with grief, guilt, and the impossible question of how to move forward. Green’s debut novel is divided into “Before” and “After,” capturing both the intensity of teenage friendships and first love, and the devastating impact of loss. The book’s honest portrayal of teen drinking, smoking, and sexuality, along with its exploration of depression and death, has made it both beloved by teen readers and frequently challenged by adults.
10. Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
Why it’s banned: Sexual assault survivor’s story
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Impact: Helped countless survivors find their voice
Melinda Sordino starts high school as an outcast—she called the police at a summer party and won’t tell anyone why, making her the most hated freshman at Merryweather High. As the school year progresses through Melinda’s sardonic observations, we learn she was raped at that party by a popular senior. Now, suffering from depression and PTSD, Melinda gradually loses her ability to speak at all. Through her art class and the painful process of facing her trauma, Melinda slowly finds her voice again. Anderson’s groundbreaking novel gives voice to the experience of sexual assault survivors, particularly the shame, silence, and disbelief they often face. Since its publication, countless readers have credited the book with helping them understand their own trauma or find the courage to speak up. Its unflinching honesty about sexual violence makes it both essential and controversial.
11. The Handmaid’s Tale
by Margaret Atwood
Why it’s banned: Dystopian critique of religious authoritarianism
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Sales surge: Up 7,000% after 2024 election
In the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian theocracy that has replaced the United States, women have been stripped of all rights. Offred is a Handmaid, a woman assigned to bear children for elite couples who can’t conceive. Through Offred’s eyes, we see a society where women can’t read, own property, work, or control their own bodies—where fertility is both a curse and the only source of power. As Offred remembers her life before Gilead, her lost daughter and husband, she navigates the dangerous politics of the Commander’s household while a resistance movement grows in the shadows. Atwood’s chilling dystopia, published in 1985, imagined a future where religious fundamentalism and misogyny combine to create a nightmare state. Its relevance has only grown, with sales surging after the 2016 election and again after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, making it more banned—and more read—than ever.
12. A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
Why it’s banned: Violence, dystopian themes
Banned in: 23 districts (2024-25)
Classic: Time’s 100 Best English-Language Novels
In a near-future England, fifteen-year-old Alex leads his gang of “droogs” through nights of ultra-violence, theft, and “a bit of the old in-out-in-out.” Told in Alex’s unique slang mixing Russian and English, the first part of the novel revels in anarchic brutality. After Alex is arrested and imprisoned, he volunteers for an experimental treatment that uses aversion therapy to cure him of his violent tendencies—but at the cost of his free will. Burgess’s controversial masterpiece explores questions of good and evil, free will versus social control, and whether it’s better to choose evil freely than to be forced to be good. The novel’s graphic violence, sexual content, and philosophical complexity made it notorious, especially after Stanley Kubrick’s 1971 film adaptation. Despite—or because of—its disturbing content, it remains a landmark work examining the nature of morality, punishment, and what makes us human.
13. Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher
Why it’s banned: Suicide, bullying
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Adapted: Netflix series
Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a package containing seven cassette tapes. Recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate and crush who recently committed suicide, the tapes explain the thirteen reasons why she decided to end her life. Each tape addresses a different person who played a role in her death—from cruel rumors to sexual assault to friends who abandoned her when she needed them most. As Clay listens through the night, following Hannah’s map to locations around town, he learns how seemingly small acts of cruelty can accumulate into unbearable pain. Asher’s novel sparked important conversations about bullying, mental health, and the impact of our actions on others. However, its detailed depiction of suicide has made it controversial, with some arguing it romanticizes suicide while others claim it saves lives by encouraging empathy and intervention.
14. Forever…
by Judy Blume
Why it’s banned: Teen sexuality
Banned for: 50 years (since 1975)
Author’s note: “I wrote it because my daughter wanted to read something where kids could have sex without dying”
Katherine and Michael meet at a party and fall deeply in love during their senior year of high school. As their relationship intensifies, they decide to have sex—and Blume’s novel frankly depicts their experience, from nervousness and fumbling to genuine intimacy and pleasure. Katherine’s parents are supportive but cautious, her friends offer various perspectives, and Katherine herself struggles with questions about love, commitment, and whether what she feels will really last “forever.” When her parents send her away for the summer, hoping distance will cool the relationship, Katherine must figure out what she really wants. Published in 1975, Forever was revolutionary for depicting teen sexuality without punishment or tragedy, treating teens as capable of making informed decisions about their bodies. Blume wrote it specifically as an alternative to the “have sex and die” narrative in other YA novels—which is exactly why it’s been controversial for 50 years.
15. Crank (Crank Trilogy)
by Ellen Hopkins
Why it’s banned: Drug addiction
Banned in: 17+ districts
Based on: Author’s daughter’s real struggle with meth addiction
Kristina Snow is the perfect daughter—straight-A student, responsible, quiet, obedient. Then, during a summer visit to her estranged father, she meets the “monster”: crystal meth. Kristina creates an alter ego, Bree, This boxed set makes a perfect gift and features trade paperback editions of Crank, Glass, and Fallout with striking new covers and special bonus content, including an essay from author Ellen Hopkins on the true story behind Crank and an essay from her daughter, the real “Kristina.”
In Crank you’ll meet Kristina—and Kristina will meet crank. Acting under the guise of her alter ego, Bree, Kristina explores drugs, sex, and her own dark side. A new mother struggling—and failing—to stay clean, Kristina’s downward spiral continues in Glass, and the outcome is chronicled in Fallout, which follows the lives of three of her children. They find themselves pulled toward the one person who links them together, yet discover that it is in each other, and in themselves, that they find the trust, the courage, the hope to break the cycle.
This stunning trilogy from a master poet and #1 New York Times bestselling author with nearly 3.5 million books in print is a testament to the harsh reality that addiction is never just one person’s problem.
16. Fun Home
by Alison Bechdel
Why it’s banned: LGBTQ+ graphic memoir
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Adapted: Tony Award-winning musical
In this groundbreaking graphic memoir, Bechdel examines her relationship with her father, a high school English teacher and funeral home director with a secret life. As Bechdel comes to terms with her own lesbianism in college, she learns that her father was also gay—and shortly after, he dies in what may have been suicide. Through rich literary allusions (particularly to Joyce’s Ulysses and Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest), Bechdel explores the parallels between her life and her father’s, their shared sexuality, and the damage caused by secrecy and repression. The memoir moves backward and forward through time, examining family dynamics, generational trauma, and what we inherit from our parents beyond genetics. Bechdel’s detailed illustrations and literary sophistication create a complex portrait of a father-daughter relationship shadowed by the closet. Its honest depictions of sexuality and its LGBTQ+ themes have made it both an award-winning classic and a frequent target of censorship.
17. The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
Why it’s banned: Violence, sexual assault
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
#1 New York Times Bestseller, 7 million copies sold
Amir and Hassan are boys in 1970s Afghanistan, where Amir is the privileged son of a wealthy businessman and Hassan is the son of Amir’s father’s servant. Despite their class difference, they’re inseparable—until the day Amir witnesses Hassan’s brutal assault and does nothing to stop it, then compounds his cowardice by driving Hassan and his father from their home. Decades later, living safely in California after fleeing the Soviet invasion and Taliban rule, Amir receives a call offering him “a way to be good again.” Returning to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, Amir seeks redemption by rescuing Hassan’s orphaned son. Hosseini’s debut novel is an epic tale of friendship, betrayal, guilt, and redemption, set against the tumultuous history of Afghanistan from the monarchy through Soviet occupation to Taliban rule. Its unflinching depiction of the sexual assault of a child and the violence of war has made it controversial, but millions of readers have found in it a powerful story about the possibility of atonement and the enduring bonds of friendship.
18. Lawn Boy
by Jonathan Evison
Why it’s banned: LGBTQ+ themes
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Story: Working-class coming-of-age novel
Mike Muñoz is a twenty-two-year-old Chicano man stuck in dead-end jobs while trying to figure out his place in the world. Working as a landscaper, living in a storage unit, caring for his disabled mother, and dreaming of escaping his small Washington town, Mike navigates class barriers, racial prejudice, and his complicated feelings about his sexuality. Through Mike’s voice—funny, profane, vulnerable, and achingly real—Evison explores the American working class, the obstacles facing people of color, and one man’s journey toward self-acceptance. The novel depicts Mike’s sexual awakening, including a childhood encounter with another boy and his adult relationships with both men and women, treating sexuality as fluid and complex rather than fitting neat categories. Its honest portrayal of a working-class queer Chicano protagonist and its frank sexual content have made it a target for book banners who object to both its LGBTQ+ themes and its challenge to the myth that anyone can succeed through hard work alone.
19. Sold
by Patricia McCormick
Why it’s banned: Human trafficking
Banned in: 20 districts (2024-25)
Awards: National Book Award finalist
Thirteen-year-old Lakshmi lives in poverty in rural Nepal, where her family’s survival depends on the monsoon rains. When her stepfather gambles away their money and the rains fail, Lakshmi is sold to a stranger who promises her work as a maid in the city. Instead, she’s taken to Happiness House, a brothel in India, where she’s locked in a room, starved, beaten, and forced into prostitution. Through Lakshmi’s first-person narrative, told in spare, lyrical verse, McCormick depicts the brutal reality of sex trafficking while maintaining Lakshmi’s humanity and hope. As Lakshmi learns the rules of her captivity and bonds with other girls, she clings to dreams of escape and reunion with her family. Based on extensive research and real stories, McCormick’s novel illuminates the global crisis of child sex trafficking without exploiting or sensationalizing it. The book’s difficult subject matter—sexual slavery of minors—makes it controversial, but McCormick argues that teens need to understand this issue, especially as many victims are children their own age.
20. Slaughterhouse-Five
by Kurt Vonnegut
Why it’s banned: Anti-war themes, language
Banned in: Multiple Florida districts
Classic: One of the greatest American novels
Billy Pilgrim has become “unstuck in time,” experiencing moments from his life in no particular order—his childhood, his time as a prisoner of war during the firebombing of Dresden, his postwar life as an optometrist, and his captivity on the alien planet Tralfamadore. Vonnegut’s masterpiece is part science fiction, part war memoir (based on Vonnegut’s own experience surviving the Dresden bombing), and part philosophical meditation on free will, fate, and the human need to find meaning in chaos. With the recurring refrain “So it goes” after every death, Vonnegut confronts the absurdity of war and the inadequacy of language to describe trauma. The novel’s anti-war message, its unconventional structure, its profanity, and its darkly comic treatment of death and sex have made it both a countercultural classic and a perennial target of censorship. Yet for over 50 years, readers have found in Billy Pilgrim’s fractured narrative a way to understand trauma, war, and the strange journey of being human.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Book banning isn’t about protecting children—it’s about controlling narratives.
The books being banned:
📖 Tell LGBTQ+ stories
📖 Address racism and systemic oppression
📖 Discuss mental health and trauma
📖 Feature non-white protagonists
📖 Challenge authority and question power
Florida has banned over 700 titles from K-12 schools—more than any other state.
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BannedInFlorida.club – Because Florida won’t tell you what to read