The Books They Don't Want You to Read
Explore the Collections!
What if the real story of America didn't start in 1620 with the Mayflower?
Lerone Bennett Jr."s Beforethe Mayflower uncovers over 400 years of African American history - stories of resilience, struggle, and triump that traditional classrooms left behind.
This book has been challenged and banned for daring to tell the truth. Now, you can read it for yourself.
Don't let history be erased. Own the story.
An essential classic, Before the Mayflower offers a comprehensive history of Black America from its African roots to the civil rights era. Bennett’s writing is accessible, informative, and unapologetically Black-centered. Why it was banned:
Often overlooked or excluded for presenting a version of American history that centers Black agency and contradicts mainstream narratives.
107 days
by kamala harris
dEAR mARTIN
Justyce McAllister, a top student at a prep school, finds himself in handcuffs...
THE UNDERGROUD RAILROAD
Whitehead reimagines the Under Ground Railroad as a train syste.
stamped from the beginning
The story of racism in America to young readers, with a call to action.
The NEW JIM CROW
Mass incarceration has created a racial caste system that devastates Black communities
Every banned book is a chance to
see the world differently.
Which one will you read first?
Discover the books
they don't you to read.
Introducing Unbanned Voices Tees. Wear your truths!
What happens when banned books stop selling
Imagine walking into a bookstore 10 years from now — and realizing the shelves are missing something. Not just a few titles, but entire stories. Memoirs, poems, and novels that spoke hard truths about race, identity, and power. Books that once lit fires in classrooms and hearts. Books that made people uncomfortable — and that some worked hard to remove. MORE
As Told to Alex Haley 1965
Born Malcolm Little, later known as El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz, Malcolm X recounts his life in raw, vivid detail—from a troubled childhood and time in prison, to his transformation into a fiery Black nationalist, and finally, his spiritual rebirth after pilgrimage to Mecca. The book is an unflinching exploration of racism, identity, faith, and liberation. Co-written with Alex Haley, it captures one of the most complex and important voices in American history.
More than an autobiography, this is a blueprint for personal and political awakening.
The 1619 Project reframes American history by centering the consequences of slavery and contributions of Black Americans beginning in 1619—the year enslaved Africans first arrived in colonial Virginia. Spearheaded by Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, this collection of essays, poetry, and historical analysis redefines what it means to study U.S. history from the margins.
A groundbreaking exposé of the U.S. criminal justice system, The New Jim Crow argues that mass incarceration has created a racial caste system that devastates Black communities. Michelle Alexander challenges readers to reckon with the roots of systemic inequality.
An essential classic, Before the Mayflower offers a comprehensive history of Black America from its African roots to the civil rights era. Bennett’s writing is accessible, informative, and unapologetically Black-centered. Why it was banned:
Often overlooked or excluded for presenting a version of American history that centers Black agency and contradicts mainstream narratives.
Teen & YA
banned & challenged Books
Are you a young Black queen in the making, navigating a that ofter doesn't understand or value your strength, beauty, and unique experiences?
Two teens-one Black, one white - confront police brutality in their community.
Set in 1998 Brooklyn, this novel follows three teens trying to turn their murdered friend's secret rap recording into posthumous fame.
First published in 1940, Richard Wright's Native Son is a searing exploration of race, proverty, and systemic oppression in America. The story follows Bigger Thomas, a young Black man in Chicago whose life is shaped by fear, limited opportunity, and the crushing weight of racism. When a violent act sets his life spiraling, Wright forces readers to confront the brutal realities of inequality and the consequences of a society built on injustice.
Banned and challenged for its unflinching depiction of violence, sexuality, and racial tension, Native Son remains a groundbreaking classic - a novel that refuses to let america look away from it own truths.
They Tried to Erase Our Stories. We ’re Putting Them Back in Your Hands.
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