Several years ago, I wrote a series of blog posts in celebration and observance of Banned Books Week. To date–along with Replacing Required Reading–this series has been by far the most popular thing on The Plucky Reader. But I’ve noticed an interesting trend. As more books are being challenged and banned in conservative states, my posts about banned and challenged books have been gaining more traction. And it makes sense: people want to know about the things that are being brought into question. So as a staunch supporter of the freedom to read, I feel it is not only my duty to celebrate these challenged books, but also to provide some statistics and information about the state of book bans in America.
I will also take a look at another of my favorite banned books, The Hate U Give. I have written briefly about this book in the past, but I figured it was time to show it the love it deserved.

But first, some history and statistics (I’m still a teacher a heart, after all.)
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