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Stephen King is no stranger to banned books. He’s had as many as 57 of his novels banned in school districts and libraries across the country, with Florida banning twenty-three of his books this year alone.
King has also been an advocate of books in general. He frequently blurbs new authors, lists dozens of books as a must-read in his memoir, and will always rave about what books he loves.
Given he tends to prefer books with darker themes that often include controversial topics, many of his suggestions have found themselves in his company on the banned books list.
Here are seven dark novels that Stephen King has recommended that have been challenged or banned.
Child of God
It started with a crime he didn’t commit. But that doesn’t mean Lester Ballard is innocent. After he’s released from jail, Lester is left homeless in the hills of East Tennessee. With no direction, his violent proclivities and strange lusts take over and he begins to prey on the population. Haunting and grotesque, agonizing and strangely human, Child of God explores the depths of human depravity and the role cruelty, isolation, and society play in molding each of us.
Why was Child of God by Cormac McCarthy banned?
The novel has faced numerous challenges in several states and school districts over the years for being inappropriate.
However, the novel came under intense scrutiny when a fourteen-year-old student in Texas completed a self-chosen book report on it. The Advanced Placement English teacher was placed on administrative leave and faced actual jail time.
In the end, he was never charged, but his contract was also not renewed.
What did Stephen King say?
King recommends several of McCarthy's books—including Child of God—on the booklist at the end of his memoir, On Writing.
Upon McCarthy’s death, King was quoted as describing him as “maybe the greatest American novelist of my time.”
The Mars Room
Stanville Woman’s Correctional Facility is about to receive a new inmate.
Romy Hall has been sentenced to two consecutive life sentences. She’s cut off from her outside world, including her young son, Jackson, and has to adjust to her new reality.
Inside, the inmates hustle for survival, fighting over the bare essentials. Violence is both an intricate display and a casual occurrence, and the guards are as guilty of it as the inmates. It’s an intimate, devastating look at the absurdity of institutional life.
Why was The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner banned?
It’s tricky to find the exact reason why the novel was banned in women’s prisons in the state of California.
Kushner says the prison authorities made false accusations on her intentions of the novel and banned it within their system. Still, considering it’s set in the California prison system and has openly professed that prisons should only exist in fiction, the ban isn’t entirely a surprise, either.
What did Stephen King say?
In a 2018 tweet, King said, "Most literary fiction doesn't last very long. This is going to be around. It's the real deal. Jarring, horrible, compassionate, funny. BTW, Kushner reads the audio, and knocks it out of the park."
The Troop
forward to leading a troop of boys through the Canadian wilderness topped with ghost stories around a bonfire. But when an intruder stumbles on their camp, the troop is exposed to a bioengineered nightmare.
As they fight to survive against the elements, they find themselves struggling against the elements, the infected, and worst of all, each other.
Why was The Troop by Nick Cutter banned?
Like most horror novels, The Troop has graphic portrayals of violence. That, in addition to sexually explicit descriptions, was deemed enough to find itself challenged as being inappropriate for library shelves in British Columbia.
Ultimately, the library allowed the book back in circulation, stating that while some subjects offend some, that didn’t justify restricting access to the population at large.
What did Stephen King say?
King’s review of the novel was so positive, it landed on the cover.
“The Troop scared the hell out of me, and I couldn’t put it down. This is old-school horror at its best. Not for the faint-hearted, but for the rest of us sick puppies, it's a perfect gift for a winter night."
You: A Novel
Sometimes destiny walks into your bookstore. And when that happens to Joe Goldberg, he does what anyone would: he Googles the name on her credit card.
Guinevere Beck is easy enough to find. Her entire life is very publicly online, telling Joe everything he needs to know. From their first “chance” meeting, Joe silently takes obsessive control of Beck’s life, moving from stalker to boyfriend to Beck’s perfect man.
There’s nothing he won’t do—including murdering anyone who gets in his way.
Why was You by Caroline Kepnes banned?
Banned for content inappropriate for minors, obscene references, and explicit sexual content, YOU has been removed from the libraries in several states across the country.
Many of these libraries used the list initially created by the political group, Mom’s for Liberty, in 2022. Their list sparked a series of bans that began in Florida and soon spread to other states.
You caught their attention largely thanks to the popular Netflix adaptation. It remains banned in multiple libraries.
What did Stephen King say?
Most fans of the book have seen King’s blurb on the cover. Two words, "hypnotic and scary”, manage to encapsulate the novel with sublime perfection. But his original review is even better.
“Totally original. Never read anything quite like it. … Hypnotic and scary. A little Ira Levin, a little Patricia Highsmith, and plenty of serious snark. Cool stuff.”
Ninth House (Ninth House Series Book 1)
Galaxy “Alex” Stern is the only survivor of an unsolved, multiple homicide. To most, it looks like she’s thrown her life away in a series of bad decisions. So, getting a full ride to one of most elite universities in the country is the last thing she expects.
She’s sure there’s a catch, but with no other options, Alex accepts. When she arrives in New Haven, she’s given the assignment to monitor the activities of Yale’s secret societies.
But there’s something far more sinister than the occult activities of the future rich and powerful. And if she can’t stop it, the consequences are far more devastating than anyone imagines.
Why was Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo banned?
Ninth House was banned in several libraries in Texas and Florida, largely for the vague accusations of inappropriate content, graphic content, and not being appropriate for a teenage audience.
It remains banned.
What did Stephen King say?
In his initial review, King praised Ninth House for being, "The best fantasy novel I've read in years, because it's about real people. Bardugo's imaginative reach is brilliant, and this story―full of shocks and twists―is impossible to put down.”
He then made sure his followers grabbed a copy by tweeting, “Great fantasy/horror novel. Out now. Just sayin’.”, on release day.
And Then There Were None
Ten strangers are summoned to a private island off the coast of Devon for a weekend getaway. Only when they arrive, their eccentric wealthy host appears to be missing.
Throughout the estate is a famous nursery rhyme framed in every room. But when a guest is murdered and then another, each matching the eerie rhyme, the remaining guests realize they’ve been marked for murder.
One by one they’re killed. But who would do this? And why?
Why was And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie?
Written in 1939, and despite several updates, the novel contains terms that are considered culturally insensitive and outright racist.
The most notable ban came from the Upper Canada District School Board, though other school districts in the US and Canada have followed suit banning the novel for the same reasons.
What did Stephen King say?
In an interview with Cinema Blend, King admitted he preferred suspense over a straightforward mystery. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t appreciate Christie’s work.
“I don’t understand how Agatha Christie did what she did. I love the books. I was gobsmacked by the end of ‘And Then There Were None’.”
He went on to tweet about the novel, “Lots of murders, but relatively bloodless. And a great mystery.”
Lord of the Flies
As war looms, a plane full of schoolboys crashes on an uncharted island.
Free of adult supervision, at first the boys celebrate their newfound freedom. They can do whatever they want. Literally anything.
But freedom comes at a price. Their efforts at structure fail as temptation and unrestrained impulses are let loose. And as order collapses, strange howls fill the night, fueling terror throughout the island.
With no hope of rescue and fear running rampant, each boy has to face their end of their innocence and choose whether they let darkness into their hearts.
Why was Lord of the Flies by William Golding banned?
Lord of the Flies has been one of the most challenged books, making it to the ALA top 100 banned books throughout the 1990s.
The reasons noted are mainly inclusion of violence, offensive and inappropriate language, and disparaging remarks or depictions of various groups of people and cultures.
What did Stephen King say?
In addition to being included in his booklist at the end of his memoir, King also wrote the introduction in the centenary edition of the novel.
There he says, “It was, so far as I can remember, the first book with hands – strong ones that reached out of the pages and seized me by the throat. It said to me, 'This is not just entertainment; it's life-or-death’.”
