Banned Together
Ashley Hope Pérez
Holiday House
Published March 4, 2025
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About Banned Together
A dazzling YA anthology that spotlights the transformative power of books while equipping teens to fight for the freedom to read, featuring the voices of 15 diverse, award-winning authors and illustrators.
Books are disappearing from shelves across the country.
What does this mean for authors, illustrators, and—most crucially—for young readers?
This bold collection of fiction, memoir, poetry, graphic narratives, essays, and other genres explores book bans through various lenses, and empowers teens to fight back. From moving personal accounts to clever comebacks aimed at censorship, fifteen legendary YA authors and illustrators confront the high-stakes question of what is lost when books are kept from teens.
Contributors include Elana K. Arnold, Nikki Grimes, Ellen Hopkins, Kelly Jensen, Brendan Kiely, Maia Kobabe, Bill Konigsberg, Kyle Lukoff, MariNaomi, Trung Lê Nguyễn, Ashley Hope Pérez, Isabel Quintero, Traci Sorell, Robin Stevenson, and Padma Venkatraman; the collection is a star-studded must-read that packs strength and power into every last word.
Striking illustrations from Ignatz-nominated artist Debbie Fong pair perfectly with the searing, impactful narrative. Resources include tips from the Vandegrift Banned Book Club and other teen activists, as well as extensive recommended book lists, a How to Start Your Own Little Free Library flier, and more.
My Review
I’ve never read an anthology like this one before. As I read, I felt energized by the resources, from book lists to tips for pushing back against book bans to creating an oasis of banned books to share with others.
Some authors share personal stories about facing book bans or hate-filled emails in response to their work. Others share stories about formative events in their lives that led to them writing the stories they have for teens. They share the hope that their words will reach teenagers who have questions or who’ve faced similar challenges and that they’ll encourage readers.
A few authors share short stories showing the emotional impact that book bans have on people or what might drive someone to try to control what books are available to read. Some appear in prose, others in poetry, and others in graphic novel panels.
The format of the anthology is engaging and energizing. I found myself adding so many books to my reading list. I loved celebrating the books mentioned that I’m already familiar with. Reading helped me think through some of my questions surrounding my own content notes here and how they might be weaponized against authors and readers.
I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for ways to support authors of banned books. It offers great resources for fighting book bans and expanding allyship, too.
Content Notes for Banned Together
Recommended for Ages 13 up.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
Some profanity used infrequently.
Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing. References to sex. References to sexual abuse/assault. (Not depicted on page.)
Spiritual Content
References to faith.
Violent Content
Brief instances of racism and homophobia.
Drug Content
None.
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