The Mississippi Challenged Books Index collects data about challenges to library materials in Mississippi. A material challenge is when a patron requests that a book, movie, or other material be removed from a library’s collection due to its content. This information will be displayed for other libraries to view and collected into annual reports. Mississippi libraries can report this information to the Mississippi Challenged Books Index on a voluntary basis.
MCBI provides information and resources to libraries dealing with challenges. Past library challenges are posted for public use on the MCBI site, including how the library dealt with the challenge.
For more information, contact Alex Brower.
Have you had a material challenge in your library? Fill out the Material Challenge Report.
| Title | Author | Institution Type | Reason for Challenge | Status | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Go Ask Alice | Anonymous | Public school | Profane and sexually objectionable | Challenged | 1984 |
| Cujo | Stephen King | Public school | Profane and sexually objectionable | Challenged | 1984 |
| I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings | Maya Angelou | Public school | Too sexually explicit to be read by children | Temporarily banned, returned to circulation | 1993 |
| To Kill a Mockingbird | Harper Lee | Public school | Contains a racial epithet | Challenged | 1996 |
| Fallen Angels | Walter Dean Myers | Public school | Profanity | Banned | 2002 |
| America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction | Jon Stewart et al | Public library | Contained an image of Supreme Court judges' faces superimposed on naked bodies | Returned to circulation | 2004 |
| Will Grayson, Will Grayson | John Green and David Levithan | Public library | LGBT themes | Challenged | 2017 |
| Outside Over There | Maurice Sendak | Public library | Disturbing imagery | Challenged | 2017 |
| Her Body and Other Parties: Stories | Carmen Maria Machado | Public library | "Raunchy" | Challenged | 2018 |