With Valentine’s Day approaching, sex is a common topic on people’s minds. But how do we know how to have safe sex? How do we learn more about our own and others’ sexualities? And how do we talk about sad and uncomfortable realities, like sexual violence? Books are a great tool to gain a better understanding of a different perspective and to learn about the realities of sex. However, an increasing spread of hate and misinformation about sex and sexuality has led many Americans to want to hide this information from their children. The following list includes books that have been banned for “inappropriate sexual content,” which every young person should read.

“It’s Perfectly Normal” by Robie H. Harris and illustrated by Michael Emberley

“It’s Perfectly Normal” is a book about puberty, relationships and sex for kids who are on the verge of entering adolescence. The information in the book is presented via the easily understandable and fun medium of comic strips, making it accessible to young children. Harris said on her website that the book started as a project to teach children about HIV and AIDS, and how to protect themselves.

According to NPR, this book is “one of the most banned books of the past two decades.” Naysayers protest because of its illustrations of nude adult bodies, and the updated edition contains information about internet safety, sexting and gender and sexual abuse — topics that are deemed “inappropriate” for children. As Harris mentioned on her website though, it’s important for children to learn about these things in order to protect themselves from sexual harm.

“Sex is a Funny Word” by Cory Silverberg and illustrated by Fiona Smyth

Similarly to “It’s Perfectly Normal,” this is a book for younger children to learn about puberty and sexuality. This book goes into more detail than “It’s Perfectly Normal” on gender identity, featuring topics like “sex assigned at birth, gender identity and gender roles,” according to Silverberg’s website.

Similar to “It’s Perfectly Normal,” this book has been banned due to its allegedly “sexually explicit” illustrations. In reality, these illustrations are simply meant to teach. As Silverberg’s website states, ‘“Sex Is a Funny Word’ opens up conversations between young people and their caregivers in a way that allows adults to convey their values and beliefs while providing information about boundaries, safety, and joy.”

“Flamer” by Mike Curato 

“Flamer” is a semibiographical graphic novel about a closeted boy’s experience at a summer camp. He faces bullying for his sexuality and his race, and he questions his Christian faith after realizing that he has a crush on a fellow male camper.

This book has been challenged for talking about LGBTQ+ identities. Ironically, the bullies at the summer camp and those who fight to ban Curato’s book share their childish motivation. Curato responded to hate toward “Flamer” in a WordPress post.

“We are not dirty,” he wrote. “And we are not sinners for being gay. We sin when we believe the lies that are perpetuated against us. We sin when we apologize for being here. I sinned when I didn’t want to give myself a chance because I didn’t think I was worth anything. This story is my penance and my redemption.”

“This Book is Gay” by Juno Dawson 

“This Book is Gay” is a book for LGBTQ+ teenagers. It talks about growing up queer and involves queer romantic and sexual relationships as well as other aspects of life as a member of the LGBTQ+ community. In a Rolling Stone interview with Dawson, she said she wrote the book so that LGBTQ+ youth could have access to the information that would have helped her make better sexual choices as a teenager.

Once again, the objections raised to this book have to do with its LGBTQ+ content. According to Marshall Libraries, the book has been banned “for providing sexual education, LGBTQIA+ content and being sexually explicit.” Dawson commented on her disappointment in the United States for banning books like hers.

“I think it’s a shame, like a real crying shame, that in 2023 queer teenagers are still seeing that there’s something controversial about them,” she said. “At the same time, they’re getting to hear about a bunch of really good books. As unpleasant as this discourse is, hopefully, the right reader might be connected to the right book at the right time when they need it the most.”

“The Color Purple” by Alice Walker

“The Color Purple” tells the coming-of-age story of a Black girl named Celie living in the early 1900s. From a young age, Celie is sexually abused by her father. At age 20, her father forces her to marry an abusive man, and Celie is separated from her sister, Nettie. The story that follows is about Celie’s relationships with other Black women — both platonic and romantic — her struggle to escape the abuse and racism that she endures, and in the end, her reunion with Nettie.

According to The Banned Books Project, this book has been banned for “religious objections, homosexuality, violence, African history, rape, incest, drug abuse, explicit language, and sexual scenes.”

It is more appropriate for teenagers due to its graphic and upsetting descriptions of sexual abuse. However, it is a story that everyone should hear to learn more about the traumas that Black women endured in the 1900s and how those struggles are still relevant today. “The Color Purple” has won a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and has been adapted into an Oscar-nominated and Golden Globe-winning film, so consumers can become engrossed in this beautiful story in multiple forms.