Welcome!
Whether you’ve found this page through my article in Booklist, or you’re just looking for resources on supporting books during bans and challenges (with a special emphasis on supporting graphic novels), I’m glad you’re here!
Resources on Book Bans & Challenges
- Get Ready Stay Ready
- We Need Diverse Books: Addressing Book Challenges
- We Need Diverse Books: Book Banning Resources
- PEN America: Book Bans
- Book Riot: Censorship Archives
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund
Booklist Article Sources
Here are some links to the sources referenced in my Booklist piece:
- School Library Journal: Censorship Attempts Will Have a Long-lasting Impact on School Library Collections, SLJ Survey Shows
- Book Riot: Soft and Quiet: Self-Censorship In An Era of Book Challenges
- Katy Magazine: Katy ISD Cancels Author Visit; Books Pulled from Libraries Pending Review After Parent Concerns
- Get Ready Stay Ready: A Community Action Toolkit
- ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom: Press “Pause” and Prepare: The Trend Toward Book Challenges – Intellectual Freedom Blog
- TED YouTube channel: Jarrett J. Krosoczka: How a boy became an artist
- TED YouTube channel: Why comics belong in the classroom | Gene Yang
- Jennifer LaGarde: Library Girl & Friends: New And Notable Graphic Novels – REAL Books For REAL Readers!
- Jarrett Lerner: Art
Further Reading
Where to learn more about…
…Fredric Wertham and the history of comic book challenges.
- Vox: The insane history of how American paranoia ruined and censored comic books
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: 1948: The Year Comics Met Their Match
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: History of Comics Censorship, Part 1
…the billion-dollar comic book industry.
- Popverse: Graphic novel sales up a staggering 110.2% in bookstores since the pandemic
- Publishers Weekly: Comics/Graphic Novel Sales Jumped 62% in 2021
- Publishers Weekly: Comics Retailers Navigate a New Normal
…the rise of middle grade graphic novels.
- Publishers Weekly: An Ever-Growing Demand for Middle Grade Graphic Novels
- SCBWI: Going Graphic: Why graphic novels are the new frontier in middle grade
…the importance of graphic novels for neurodivergent readers.
- It’s Nice That: Good grief and comic relief: Why comics have the power to transform education for neurodiverse people
- UNESCO: Comics Make Learning Easier for Children on the Autism Spectrum and Everyone
- Dyslexic Advantage: Comics and Dyslexia: A Curious Connection…
…the importance of graphic novels for English language learners.
- AASL Knowledge Quest: English Language Learners + Graphic Novels
…the importance of graphic novels for developing readers.
- Understood: Why Graphic Novels Are Good for Struggling Readers
- Resilient Educator: How Graphic Novels Help Students Develop Critical Skills
…the practice of putting popular library books “on vacation.”
- AASL Knowledge Quest: Putting Your Graphic Novels On Vacation Is Censorship
…the importance of manga (and anime) for neurodivergent readers.
- Manga Librarian: Anime & Manga Culture and Neurodivergence
- BBC News YouTube channel: Why do autistic people really love manga?
- Autistic & Unapologetic: Why do Autistic People LOVE Anime?
…the importance of manga (and anime) for Black readers.
- Study Breaks: Why Do So Many Black People Love Anime?
- Kotaku: Why Black Men Love Dragon Ball Z
- Medium: Anime Is for Black Girls Too
…using graphic novels in the classroom.
- Tracy Edmunds: Graphic Novels for Teaching Content: STEM, Social Studies, and More
- School Library Journal: Teaching With Science Comics
- Education Week: Math Teachers Take a Page From English/Language Arts: Comic Books!
- AASL Knowledge Quest: Graphic Novels to Pair with Social Studies Lessons
- Comic Book Legal Defense Fund: Using Graphic Novels in Education
- Scholastic: How to Use Graphic Novels In Your Curriculum
- Edutopia: Using Graphic Novels and Comics in the Classroom
Adriana Lebrón White 