WE READ BANNED BOOKS

Red

A Crayon's Story

By: Michael Hall
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 5 minutes

A blue crayon mistakenly labeled as ""red"" suffers an identity crisis in this picture book by the New York Times–bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo and It's an Orange Aardvark! Funny, insightful, and colorful, Red: A Crayon's Story, by Michael Hall, is about being true to your inner self and following your own path despite obstacles... Read more

The 1619 Project

A New Origin Story

By: Caitlin Roper, Ilena Silverman & Jake Silverstein
Narrated by: Nikole Hannah-Jones & Full Cast
Length: 18 hours 56 minutes

“This new landmark work of U.S. history, criticism, and art is forged of 18 essays that consider the relevance of slavery to contemporary America through the prism of such subjects as capitalism, music, and healthcare and poems and fiction that focus on key moments in the oppression, resistance, and liberation of Black people in America. Riveting... Read more

The Hate U Give

By: Angie Thomas
Narrated by: Bahni Turpin
Length: 11 hours 50 minutes

“This bestselling, powerful young adult novel about social justice and one teen girl's effort to fight for what is right, will leave you breathless. The narration by Bahni Turpin is hands down the best I've ever heard. This is such an important book it should be required reading for life in general. Or listening. Definitely listening. Read more

All American Boys

By: Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely
Narrated by: Guy Lockard & Keith Nobbs
Length: 6 hours 35 minutes

A 2016 Coretta Scott King Author Honor book, and recipient of the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children’s Literature.

In this New York Times bestselling novel, two teens—one black, one white—grapple with the repercussions of a single violent act that leaves their school, their community, and, ultimately, the country bitterly divided... Read more

Speak

20th Anniversary Edition

By: Laurie Halse Anderson
Narrated by: Mandy Siegfried, Ashley C. Ford, Jason Reynolds & Laurie Halse Anderson
Length: 5 hours 48 minutes

"Speak up for yourself―we want to know what you have to say."

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to... Read more

Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

A Novel

By: Kirsten Miller
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Length: 10 hours 13 minutes

“Yes, yes, YES!!!! A must read! Hilarious, moving, thought provoking, empowering, you name it and just…yes! Read more

The Banned Books Club

By: Brenda Novak
Narrated by: Amy McFadden
Length: 10 hours 59 minutes

“A sharply plotted, emotionally intense novel of family secrets, fresh starts and community” —Jayne Ann Krentz

She left her hometown following a scandal—but family loyalty is dragging her back…

Despite their strained relationship, when Gia Rossi’s sister, Margot, begs her to come home to Wakefield, Iowa, to help with their ailing mother, Gia knows... Read more

Banned Books

The World's Most Controversial Books, Past, and Present

By: DK
Narrated by: Charles Armstrong
Length: 3 hours 16 minutes

Discover the stories behind the most shocking and infamous books ever published.

Censorship of one form or another has existed almost as long as the written word, while definitions of what is "acceptable" in published works have shifted over the centuries, and from culture to culture.

Banned Books explores why some of the world's most important... Read more

That Librarian

The Fight Against Book Banning in America

By: Amanda Jones
Narrated by: Amanda Jones
Length: 9 hours 56 minutes

“This book is the incredible - and highly stress inducing, don't read before bedtime - the memoir of a Louisiana middle-school librarian who finds herself at the front line of the culture wars. Powerful!! Read more

American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition

By: Neil Gaiman
Narrated by: Full Cast
Length: 19 hours 39 minutes

“Written by one of my favorite authors, Neil Gaiman, this novel is a blend of Americana, fantasy, and various strands of ancient and modern mythology, all centering on the mysterious and taciturn Shadow. Little did I know when I first picked up this book I was about to experience one of the most interesting and engaging stories I’d ever read. I... Read more

Not Another Banned Book

By: Dana Alison Levy
Narrated by: Keylor Leigh & Dana Alison Levy
Length: 6 hours 31 minutes

“What a gem of a book! As with Maybe He Just Likes You (which, spoiler Molly mentions in her graduation speech!), this is a book I wish I'd had when I was in middle school. Molly is struggling with so many things: grieving, growing up, realizing life isn't fair. Her anger at everything out of her control is so relatable--at any age! But her... Read more

This Book Is Banned

By: Raj Haldar
Narrated by: Raj Haldar
Length: 7 minutes

THIS IS A BOOK ABOUT DINOSAURS.
No it's not. Dinosaurs are NOT ALLOWED.
OH. THIS IS NOW A BOOK ABOUT AVOCADOS!
Sorry. We deleted those.
FINE.
THIS BOOK IS ABOUT?NOPE
Permanently BANNED!
What is this book about anyway?! Maybe you shouldn’t even try reading it … But what could possibly be inside?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Raj Haldar presents a... Read more

The Great Banned-Books Bake Sale

By: Aya Khalil
Narrated by: Dalia Ramahi
Length: 18 minutes

Upon learning that the books with kids who look like her have been banned by her school district, Kanzi descends into fear and helplessness. But her classmates support her, and together—with their teacher’s help—they hatch a plan to hold a bake sale and use the proceeds to buy diverse books to donate to libraries. The event is a big success: the... Read more

How the Word Is Passed

A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America

By: Clint Smith
Narrated by: Clint Smith
Length: 10 hours 6 minutes

“Smith has crafted a resource, narrative and detailed explanation into how we teach the legacy of slavery. He recounts visits from everywhere from NYC to the Whitney Plantation, integrating stories of people and visitors today. This book is lays a beautiful written foundation for interrogating the history we've been taught. Particularly... Read more

Stamped from the Beginning

The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America

By: Ibram X. Kendi
Narrated by: Avery Kidd Waddell
Length: 23 hours 35 minutes

Some Americans insist that we're living in a post-racial society. But racist thought is not just alive and well in America—it is more sophisticated and more insidious than ever. And as award-winning historian Ibram X. Kendi argues, racist ideas have a long and lingering history, one in which nearly every great American thinker is complicit.



In... Read more

Stamped (For Kids)

Racism, Antiracism, and You

By: Ibram X. Kendi & Jason Reynolds
Narrated by: Pe'Tehn Raighn-Kem Jackson
Length: 2 hours 22 minutes

This chapter book edition of the #1 New York Times bestseller by luminaries Ibram X. Kendi and Jason Reynolds is an essential introduction to the history of racism and antiracism in America
 
RACE. Uh-oh. The R-word. 
But actually talking about race is one of the most important things to learn how to do.

Adapted from the groundbreaking... Read more

The 57 Bus

A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives

By: Dashka Slater
Narrated by: Robin Miles
Length: 5 hours 43 minutes

The riveting New York Times bestseller and Stonewall Book Award winner that will make you rethink all you know about race, class, gender, crime, and punishment. Artfully, compassionately, and expertly told, Dashka Slater's The 57 Bus is a must-read nonfiction book for teens that chronicles the true story of an agender teen who was set on fire by... Read more

All Boys Aren't Blue

A Memoir-Manifesto

By: George M. Johnson
Narrated by: George M. Johnson
Length: 5 hours 11 minutes

“After listening to this book, I was outraged to learn how widely banned it is across the country - This story needs to be told and shared. Read more

Gender Queer

A Memoir

By: Maia Kobabe
Narrated by: Maia Kobabe, Trini Alvarado, Stephen Graybill, Phoebe Kobabe, Jeremy Carlisle Parker & Full Cast
Length: 1 hour 58 minutes

2020 ALA Alex Award Winner
2020 Stonewall — Israel Fishman Non-fiction Award Honor Book

The ground-breaking, bestselling graphic novel is now available on audio.

In 2014, Maia Kobabe, who uses e/em/eir pronouns, thought that a comic of reading statistics would be the last autobiographical comic e would ever write. At the time, it was the only... Read more

This Book Is Gay

By: Juno Dawson
Narrated by: Christopher Solimene
Length: 6 hours 47 minutes

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