Joined by a coalition of more than 35 authors, including Khaled Hosseini, Maia Kobabe, and Molly Knox Ostertag, PEN America sent a letter to Rockingham County, Virginia schools protesting a recent ban on more than 50 books and urging that the district return these books to shelves.
Books subject to “temporary removal” initiated on January 8 include: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, Tricks by Ellen Hopkins, The Kite Runner by Hosseini, Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman, and Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut.
Here is a full list of the 57 books banned in Rockingham County, Virginia, schools.
Books Banned in Rockingham County, Virginia
Author | Title |
| Becky Albertalli | Leah on the Offbeat |
| Sherman Alexie | The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian |
| Jesse Andrews | Me and Earl and the Dying Girl |
| Jay Asher | Thirteen Reasons Why |
| Derf Backderf | My Friend Dahmer |
| Judy Blume | Forever… |
| Kacen Callender | Felix Ever After |
| Michael Cart | How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Stories of Identity |
| Soman Chainani | The School for Good and Evil |
| Stephen Chbosky | The Perks of Being a Wallflower |
| Mary H.K. Choi | Yolk |
| Juno Dawson | This Book Is Gay |
| Jonathan Evison | Lawn Boy |
| John Green | Looking for Alaska |
| Melissa Grey | Valiant Ladies |
| Ellen Hopkins | Tricks |
| Ellen Hopkins | Tilt |
| Ellen Hopkins | Smoke |
| Ellen Hopkins | Perfect |
| Ellen Hopkins | Identical |
| Ellen Hopkins | Glass |
| Ellen Hopkins | Burned |
| Khaled Hosseini | The Kite Runner |
| Tiffany D. Jackson | Allegedly |
| George M. Johnson | All Boys Aren’t Blue |
| Rupi Kaur | The Sun and Her Flowers |
| Kody Keplinger | The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend |
| Maia Kobabe | Gender Queer: A Memoir |
| Susan Kuklin | Beyond Magenta: Transgender Teens Speak Out |
| Trudy Ludwig | The Invisible Boy |
| Sarah J. Maas | A Court of Mist and Fury |
| Patricia McCormick | Sold |
| Lisa McMann | Fade |
| Casey McQuiston | Red, White, and Royal Blue |
| Toni Morrison | The Bluest Eye |
| Toni Morrison | Beloved |
| Lauren Myracle | Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale |
| Lauren Myracle | The Infinite Moment of Us |
| Lauren Myracle | l8r, g8r |
| Jennifer Niven | Breathless |
| Alice Oseman | Nick and Charlie: A Heartstopper Novella |
| Alice Oseman | Heartstopper, Vol. 4 |
| Alice Oseman | Heartstopper, Vol. 3 |
| Alice Oseman | Heartstopper, Vol. 2 |
| Alice Oseman | Heartstopper, Vol. 1 |
| Ashley Hope Pérez | Out of Darkness |
| Jodi Picoult | Nineteen Minutes |
| Jackie Morse Kessler | Rage |
| Paul Ruditis | Rainbow Party |
| Amy Reed | The Nowhere Girls |
| Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely | All American Boys |
| Rainbow Rowell | Eleanor & Park |
| Elizabeth Scott | Living Dead Girl |
| Nic Sheff | Tweak: Growing Up on Methamphetamines |
| Adam Silvera | More Happy Than Not |
| Beatrice Sparks | Go Ask Alice |
| Garth Stein | The Art of Racing in the Rain |
| Raina Telgemeier | Drama: A Graphic Novel |
| Kurt Vonnegut Jr. | Slaughterhouse-Five |
| Jessica Walton | Stars in their Eyes |
