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Banned Books Week

Banned Books Week is an annual event celebrating the freedom to read.

Monster by Walter Dean Myers
Call Number: Foley 2nd Floor Curriculum PZ4.M93 M55 1999

ISBN: 9780060280772

Publication Date: 1999

Monster is a multi-award-winning, provocative coming-of-age story that was the first-ever Michael L. Printz Award recipient, an ALA Best Book, a Coretta Scott King Honor selection, and a National Book Award finalist.

This New York Times bestselling novel from acclaimed author Walter Dean Myers tells the story of Steve Harmon, a teenage boy in juvenile detention and on trial. Presented as a screenplay of Steve's own imagination, and peppered with journal entries, the book shows how one single decision can change our whole lives.

Why was this book challenged?

Reasons: Profanity, Violence, Sexual Content

In 2020, a teacher removed two books, including Monster, from her school reading list. Local3News quoted an email from the teacher where she told parents she pulled the books because they contain "mature content that not every student would be comfortable reading."
See our Frequently Asked Questions for more information about why books written by Black authors that address systemic racism are frequently targeted for censorship.

Last Updated: Sep 30, 2025 4:22 PM
URL: https://researchguides.gonzaga.edu/BannedBooksWeek
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Subjects: UASC Exhibits

Tags: Banned, Banned Books, Banned Books Week, Censorship, Challenged Books, Intellectual Freedom

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