Seven banned books that should be required reading

At the BN Teen blog Natasha Ochshorn tagged seven "(mostly) YA books off the ALA’s banned book lists that should be required reading," including:

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

challenged in 2017 for drug use, profanity, and language

Starr, a Black high school student sorting through the turmoil after witnessing the death of a friend at the hands of a police officer, is eventually drawn toward activism confronting institutionalized racism in the police department. Starr has a clearly drawn, complex inner life, and is surrounded by lived-in characters who balance out the viewpoints in the story, and show both the support and the challenges that Starr faces. Thomas manages to both write an entertaining, non-didactic book, and to illustrate how Starr’s story is both universal and specific.

Read about the other entries on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue