In 2015, CBLDF successfully defended the graphic novel edition of The Graveyard Book from a middle school library ban for violent imagery. Craig Russell from the novel by Neil Gaiman (HarperCollins, 2014) It was also targeted by the South Carolina legislature and in a New Jersey lawsuit. Despite these extraordinary accolades, Fun Home has been singled out for bans and challenges in colleges, public libraries, and high schools. It was also adapted into a Tony Award–winning musical. The book has been included on numerous best-of lists and earned the National Book Critics Circle Award and awards such as the Eisner, the Stonewall Book Award, the GLAAD Media Award, and the Lambda Literary Award (lesbian memoir and biography). As Alison grows older and realizes that she is a lesbian, she and Bruce are both forced to confront how his repression may have affected her own self-image and the way that she dealt with her sexuality. The book was listed among the country’s top ten most banned books in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2018.Īlison Bechdel (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2006)Īlison Bechdel’s Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic examines the author’s childhood, particularly her relationship with her closeted gay father Bruce. Although most readers found Drama to be just as endearing and authentic as Telgemeier’s previous books, Smile and Sisters, a small but vocal minority have objected to the inclusion of two gay characters, one of whom shares a chaste on-stage kiss with another boy. Raina Telgemeier’s Drama, a graphic novel about the joys and tribulations of a middle school drama troupe, received universal critical praise upon its publication in 2012. Raina Telgemeier (Scholastic / Graphix, 2012) The series uses comedy and superhero tropes to emphasize the values of camaraderie among students and the impact that good teaching can have in the lives of pupils others have discarded.

The series follows a group of misfit students, who pledge to stop an alien supervillain disguised as a teacher from destroying the world. The manga is currently pending review by an evaluation committee and is unavailable to readers who may find insight and enjoyment in its pages. The book’s removal runs contrary to New York City Department of Education guidelines.

In early 2019, Assassination Classroom was pulled from a school library on Staten Island over parental objections to its title and themes. Here’s a look at some of the titles they’ve worked to protect.įind out more about these challenged and banned comics and other censored titles at Assassination Classroom The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and several other members of the Banned Books Week Coalition defend comics from censorship.

Comics are one of the most commonly attacked types of books, with challenges and bans happening every year.

Smile comic book