# Banned books in Tennessee schools

**31** titles reported as banned, removed, or formally challenged by at least one Tennessee public-school district. This is a state-aggregated view — the specific district and policy vary per title. Sourced from PEN America's Index of School Book Bans and the American Library Association (ALA) most-challenged list.

**State:** Tennessee  ·  **Reported titles:** 31
**Canonical URL:** https://readinglist.school/banned-books/tennessee
**License:** [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) — please credit ReadingList.school when citing.
**Primary source — PEN America:** https://pen.org/banned-book-list/
**Primary source — ALA most-challenged:** https://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks
**Tennessee Department of Education:** https://www.tn.gov/education.html

## Books reported as banned or challenged in Tennessee schools

- [Anger Is a Gift](https://readinglist.school/book/anger-is-a-gift) by Mark Oshiro _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2018)_
- [Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe](https://readinglist.school/book/aristotle-and-dante-discover-the-secrets-of-the-universe) by Benjamin Alire Sáenz _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2012)_
- [Blended](https://readinglist.school/book/blended) by Sharon M. Draper _(610L · Grades 3–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Darius the Great Is Not Okay](https://readinglist.school/book/darius-the-great-is-not-okay) by Adib Khorram _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2018)_
- [Dragonwings](https://readinglist.school/book/dragonwings) by Laurence Yep _(870L · Grades 6–8 · pub 1975)_
- [Eleanor & Park](https://readinglist.school/book/eleanor-park) by Rainbow Rowell _(Grades 4–9 · pub 2013)_
- [Far From The Tree](https://readinglist.school/book/far-from-the-tree) by Robin Benway _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [Front Desk](https://readinglist.school/book/front-desk) by Kelly Yang _(640L · Grades 3–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Gabi, a Girl in Pieces](https://readinglist.school/book/gabi-a-girl-in-pieces) by Isabel Quintero _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [Ghost Boys](https://readinglist.school/book/ghost-boys) by Jewell Parker Rhodes _(360L · Grades 4–7 · pub 2018)_
- [Grasshopper Jungle](https://readinglist.school/book/grasshopper-jungle) by Andrew Smith _(Grades 4–9 · pub 2014)_
- [I'll Give You the Sun](https://readinglist.school/book/ill-give-you-the-sun) by Jandy Nelson _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [Last Night at the Telegraph Club](https://readinglist.school/book/last-night-at-the-telegraph-club) by Malinda Lo _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2021)_
- [Maus: A Survivor's Tale](https://readinglist.school/book/maus) by Art Spiegelman _(Grades 9–12 · pub 1986)_
- [Monster](https://readinglist.school/book/monster) by Walter Dean Myers _(670L · Grades 8–11 · pub 1999)_
- [New Kid](https://readinglist.school/book/new-kid) by Jerry Craft _(Grades 4–8 · pub 2019)_
- [Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda](https://readinglist.school/book/simon-vs-the-homo-sapiens-agenda) by Becky Albertalli _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2015)_
- [Slaughterhouse-Five](https://readinglist.school/book/slaughterhouse-five) by Kurt Vonnegut _(850L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1969)_
- [Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You](https://readinglist.school/book/stamped-racism-antiracism-and-you) by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi _(1000L · Grades 7–12 · pub 2020)_
- [The Bluest Eye](https://readinglist.school/book/the-bluest-eye) by Toni Morrison _(920L · Grades 11–12 · pub 1970)_
- [The Carnival at Bray](https://readinglist.school/book/the-carnival-at-bray) by Jessie Ann Foley _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2014)_
- [The Hate U Give](https://readinglist.school/book/the-hate-u-give) by Angie Thomas _(590L · Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [The Hidden Oracle](https://readinglist.school/book/the-hidden-oracle) by Rick Riordan _(Grades 6–9 · pub 2017)_
- [The Kite Runner](https://readinglist.school/book/the-kite-runner) by Khaled Hosseini _(840L · Grades 10–12 · pub 2003)_
- [The Perks of Being a Wallflower](https://readinglist.school/book/the-perks-of-being-a-wallflower) by Stephen Chbosky _(720L · Grades 9–12 · pub 1999)_
- [Victories Greater Than Death](https://readinglist.school/book/victories-greater-than-death) by Charlie Jane Anders _(Grades 5–12 · pub 2021)_
- [Walk Two Moons](https://readinglist.school/book/walk-two-moons) by Sharon Creech _(770L · Grades 5–7 · pub 1994)_
- [We Are Okay](https://readinglist.school/book/we-are-okay) by Nina LaCour _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [We Set the Dark on Fire](https://readinglist.school/book/we-set-the-dark-on-fire) by Tehlor Kay Mejia _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2019)_
- [What Girls Are Made Of](https://readinglist.school/book/what-girls-are-made-of) by Elana K. Arnold _(Grades 9–12 · pub 2017)_
- [Will Grayson, Will Grayson](https://readinglist.school/book/will-grayson-will-grayson) by John Green _(Grades 3–10 · pub 2010)_

## How book challenges work in Tennessee

Tennessee has 31 titles on file as banned, restricted, or formally challenged by at least one Tennessee public-school district in the public sources ReadingList aggregates from (PEN America's Index of School Book Bans and the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom most-challenged list). These tracked numbers represent FORMAL challenges that reached district board minutes, ALA OIF reporting, or PEN America's quarterly index — quieter classroom-level removals that never reached those national trackers are not captured here, so the actual scope of restriction in Tennessee is plausibly larger than this list reflects.

Book challenges in Tennessee typically follow a layered process: a parent, board member, or community member files a written request for reconsideration of an assigned title with a specific school or district; the district convenes a review committee (usually comprising teachers, librarians, administrators, and sometimes parent representatives); the committee reads the book, evaluates it against the district's selection criteria and against Tennessee ELA standards, holds at least one public comment session, and votes to retain, restrict (e.g., grade-level limits or parental consent), or remove the title from the approved curriculum. Decisions are typically appealable to the state board of education within a defined window.

Common challenge bases across the 31 Tennessee titles tracked here mirror the national pattern: sexual content (most common), LGBTQ+ themes, race and racism, profanity or violence, religion and political content, and depictions of substance abuse. Tracked titles include: Anger Is a Gift; Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe; Blended. Each title's detail page lists the specific Tennessee district that initiated the challenge, the date, and (when published) the formal challenge basis recorded in district minutes. For deeper context on national patterns, the linked PEN America and ALA pages publish quarterly and annual reports.

For parents, teachers, librarians, and students in Tennessee navigating this landscape: the practical paths forward depend on role. Parents who object to a specific assigned title can typically request an alternative assignment from the teacher directly without initiating a formal challenge — most Tennessee districts have informal opt-out paths well before the formal reconsideration process kicks in. Librarians and teachers facing pressure to remove a title can document the formal selection criteria the book met, gather student-reader testimonials (with FERPA-compliant consent), and align with the National Coalition Against Censorship for advisory support. Students directly affected by a book removal can speak at the school board meeting where the decision is reviewed — public comment is open to all Tennessee district residents. Tennessee's Department of Education publishes the formal procedural framework — the source link is in the sources block above.

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_Aggregated from PEN America + ALA public reporting. A statewide ban is rare; most removals are at the district or individual-school level, and many challenged titles remain available elsewhere in the state. HTML view: https://readinglist.school/banned-books/tennessee._