Resources to Fight Book Bans
Banned Books week is an important time to call attention to an issue that happens year round. Per the American Library Association, 4,235 unique titles were challenged in 2025, and 39% of those challenged titles represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color. We’ve compiled some of our booksellers’ favorite challenged or banned books and helpful resources in fighting book bans.
PEN America has documented over 23,000 book bans in the United States since 2021. Their tip sheets for librarians, educators, students, authors, and anyone going to public meetings are very informative.
The American Library Association is on the front lines of book bans, and their list of the 100 most challenged books from the previous decade is very illuminating.
Unite Against Book Bans has amazing Book Résumés which are full of great information to defend books against challenges.
Kim holding a stack of banned books from our banned books display.
Here at Old Town Books our staff each picked a banned or challenged book that they love for our store display all October long. A few highlights are Kim’s pick, Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, which has been challenged due to its frank discussions of systemic racism. Fun Home, the graphic novel/memoir by Alison Bechdel that alternates between Bechdel’s upbringing and early adulthood as she navigates dysfunctional family, evolving gender roles, and her own sexuality. And Melissa's YA choice, Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley that has been banned for its depiction of the historical injustices, including the trauma of Indigenous boarding schools.
Trevor Noah’s book, Born a Crime
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
“I'm not always a huge fan of memoirs, but I really enjoyed this one! Noah's writing is sharp and funny (I laughed out loud a few times) while not shying away from or sugarcoating the hardships he and his family went through in South Africa. I'm baffled that anyone would think this book, with it's care and heart, needs to be banned, but that’s the story with most banned books right now.” - Kim
Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic by Alison Bechdel
“As memoirs go this is a great one especially for those who tend to shy away from the genre. Told as a non-linear graphic novel it alternates between Alison Bechdel’s upbringing and early adulthood as she navigates dysfunctional family, evolving gender roles, and her own sexuality.” - Maeve
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
“Equally popular with teens and adults, this groundbreaking, critically-acclaimed thriller, about a teen who goes undercover to root out the crime and corruption threatening her community, has been banned for its depiction of the historical injustices, including the trauma of indigenous boarding schools, that continue to shape the modern Native experience.” - Melissa
Check out the full list of our bookseller’s picks of challenged and banned books.