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Banned Books

Libro.fm is dedicated to ensuring representation in books and resisting book bans, exclusion, and censorship. Check out this list of the most frequently banned and challenged books on audio.

Bookseller pick
The 1619 Project by Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein
The 1619 Project
Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein
The 1619 Project by Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein

The 1619 Project

By: Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein

Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones & Full Cast

Length: 18 hours 56 minutes

Abridged: No

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A dramatic expansion of a groundbreaking work of journalism, The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story offers a profoundly revealing vision of the American past and present.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The Washington Post • NPR • Marie Claire
 
In late August 1619, a ship arrived in the British colony of... Read more

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Bookseller pick
Melissa (previously published as GEORGE) by Alex Gino
Melissa (previously published as GEORGE)
Alex Gino
Melissa (previously published as GEORGE) by Alex Gino

Melissa (previously published as GEORGE)

By: Alex Gino

Narrated by: Jamie Clayton

Length: 3 hours 16 minutes

Abridged: No

BE WHO YOU ARE.When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.Melissa thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the... Read more

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Bookseller pick
Beloved by Toni Morrison
Beloved
Toni Morrison
Beloved by Toni Morrison

Beloved

By: Toni Morrison

Narrated by: Jane Santos

Length: 11 hours 52 minutes

Abridged: No

La obra maestra de la premio Nobel de Literatura Toni Morrison, «la mejor novela norteamericana de los últimos cincuenta años» según The New York Times, ganadora del Premio Pulitzer y del American Book Award «No puedo imaginar la literatura norteamericana sin esta novela.» John Leonard, Los Angeles Times Para escribir esta magnífica historia,... Read more

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This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson
This Book Is Gay
Juno Dawson
This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson

This Book Is Gay

By: Juno Dawson

Narrated by: Christopher Solimene

Length: 6 hours 47 minutes

Abridged: No

Lesbian. Bisexual. Queer. Transgender. Straight. Curious. This book is for everyone, regardless of gender or sexual preference. This book is for anyone who's ever dared to wonder. This book is for you.



There's a long-running joke that, after "coming out," a lesbian, gay guy, bisexual, or trans person should receive a membership card and... Read more

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Bookseller pick
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
All Boys Aren't Blue
George M. Johnson
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren't Blue

By: George M. Johnson

Narrated by: George M. Johnson

Length: 5 hours 11 minutes

Abridged: No

This program is read by the author.

In a series of personal essays, prominent journalist and LGBTQIA+ activist George M. Johnson's All Boys Aren't Blue explores their childhood, adolescence, and college years in New Jersey and Virginia.

A New York Times Bestseller!
Good Morning America, NBC Nightly News, Today Show, and MSNBC feature stories


From... Read more

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Bookseller pick
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender
Felix Ever After
Kacen Callender
Felix Ever After by Kacen Callender

Felix Ever After

By: Kacen Callender

Narrated by: Logan Rozos

Length: 8 hours 23 minutes

Abridged: No

A Stonewall Honor Book * A Time Magazine Best YA Book of All TimeFrom Stonewall and Lambda Award–winning author Kacen Callender comes a revelatory YA novel about a transgender teen grappling with identity and self-discovery while falling in love for the first time.Felix Love has never been in love—and, yes, he’s painfully aware of the irony. He... Read more

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Bookseller pick
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give
Angie Thomas
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give

By: Angie Thomas

Narrated by: Bahni Turpin

Length: 11 hours 50 minutes

Abridged: No

8 starred reviews · Goodreads Choice Awards Best of the Best  ·  William C. Morris Award Winner · National Book Award Longlist · Printz Honor Book · Coretta Scott King Honor Book · #1 New York Times Bestseller!""Absolutely riveting!"" —Jason Reynolds""Stunning."" —John Green""This story is necessary. This story is important."" —Kirkus (starred... Read more

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Bookseller pick
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God
Zora Neale Hurston
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Their Eyes Were Watching God

By: Zora Neale Hurston

Narrated by: Ruby Dee

Length: 6 hours 44 minutes

Abridged: No

“A deeply soulful novel that comprehends love and cruelty, and separates the big people from the small of heart, without ever losing sympathy for those unfortunates who don’t know how to live properly.” —Zadie SmithOne of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love... Read more

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Bookseller pick
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar
Sylvia Plath
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

The Bell Jar

By: Sylvia Plath

Narrated by: Maggie Gyllenhaal

Length: 7 hours 24 minutes

Abridged: No

Performed by Maggie GyllenhaalOne of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels“A coming-of-age masterpiece. . . . Sylvia Plath has become one of the influential writers of her time.” —Boston GlobeSylvia Plath’s masterwork—an acclaimed and enduring novel about a young woman falling into the grip of mental illness and societal pressuresEsther Greenwood... Read more

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Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine Paterson
Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Bridge to Terabithia

By: Katherine Paterson

Narrated by: Robert Sean Leonard

Length: 3 hours 30 minutes

Abridged: No

This beloved Newbery Medal-winning novel by bestselling author Katherine Paterson is a modern classic of friendship and loss.Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in... Read more

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To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

To Kill a Mockingbird

By: Harper Lee

Narrated by: Sissy Spacek

Length: 12 hours 17 minutes

Abridged: No

Look for The Land of Sweet Forever, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces by Harper Lee, coming October 21, 2025.Voted America's Best-Loved Novel in PBS's The Great American ReadHarper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South—and the... Read more

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Bookseller pick
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda
Becky Albertalli
Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

By: Becky Albertalli

Narrated by: Michael Crouch

Length: 6 hours 45 minutes

Abridged: No

Now a major motion picture from Twentieth Century Fox: Love, SimonWilliam C. Morris Award Winner: Best Young Adult Debut of the Year * National Book Award Longlist""A remarkable gift of a novel.""—Andrew Smith, author of Grasshopper Jungle""I am so in love with this book.""—Nina LaCour, author of Hold Still""Feels timelessly, effortlessly... Read more

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See more banned books

Conversations on book bans

We interviewed Amanda Jones, author of That Librarian, anti-censorship advocate, and school librarian, about her work fighting bans.

Check out our interview with Kelly Jensen of Book Riot and Leah Johnson, author of You Should See Me in a Crown.

Listen to our episode with Traci Thomas, host of The Stacks, Kiese Laymon, author of Heavy, Nicole Lintemuth, owner of Bettie’s Pages, and Martha Hickson, a high school librarian in Annandale, NJ.

Portrait of Kelly and Leah

Fight book bans in your district

Read more tips from Kelly and Leah on combating bans.

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Collage of bookstores

How bookstores are fighting bans

In addition to raising awareness about banned books through creative displays and handselling to customers, many are going above and beyond.

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The Right to Read Handbook

Check out the American Bookseller Association's comprehensive guide to fighting book bans through local organizing and engaged citizenship.

Grab your copy

Author interviews

Portrait of Angie Thomas

Angie Thomas

The Hate U Give
Photo: Imani Khayyam

Portrait of George M. Johnson

George M. Johnson

All Boys Aren’t Blue
Photo: Vincent Marc

Portrait of Juno Dawson

Juno Dawson

This Book Is Gay
Photo: Eivind Hansen

Resources to fight against book bans

Want to join the fight against book bans and challenges? Check out these organizations and resources to learn more about what you can do to take action.

Learn about bills being passed.

By seeing what bills at a local, state, and national level are impacting book bans, we can better take action.

Track bills

Contact your legislators.

Show your support for the freedom to read by contacting your political reps.

Contact Congress Contact Senate

Get involved at your local school.

Show up to school board meetings, library board meetings, and consider running for a role.

Learn more

Support your public library.

Whether donating, volunteering, or joining the library board, there are many ways to demonstrate support for libraries and librarians.

Learn more

How is Libro.fm working to combat bans?

Libro.fm supports the freedom to read and the booksellers, librarians, educators, authors, and publishers that make doing so possible.

In addition to amplifying banned and challenged books across our website, apps, and marketing campaigns, we work closely with organizers to fight legal challenges, raise awareness, and activate our community. We amplify awareness weeks, such as Banned Books Week and National Library Week, and have held fundraisers in support of public libraries.

We are a Social Purpose Corporation

As a Social Purpose Corporation and 100% employee-owned company, we pursue both social and financial goals in the for-profit context, even if those social goals may at times conflict with the corporation’s financial interests. We release an annual report outlining our efforts and progress.

Questions?

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Celebrate indie bookstores with our limited-time sale! Shop the sale