Movies and TV Based on Recently Censored Books
by rubyfruit76 | created - 01 Jul 2020 | updated - 05 Aug 2020 | PublicEvery year, the American Library Association tracks books that have been censored or challenged (attempts to censor or ban a book) by libraries, schools, colleges, and universities. The following films or TV series are all based on books that appeared in the Top 10 Most Challenged Books lists at least once between 2010 and 2019. Which do you think is the most important to keep away from censors and in the hands of readers and filmmakers?
Discuss here.
(Note: Except for the first five options, all titles are listed in alphabetical order.)
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1. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Votes: 855,538 | Gross: $317.58M
All Harry Potter books (by J.K. Rowling): On the list in 2019
2. To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Approved | 129 min | Crime, Drama
Atticus Finch, a widowed lawyer in Depression-era Alabama, defends a Black man against an undeserved rape charge, and tries to educate his young children against prejudice.
Director: Robert Mulligan | Stars: Gregory Peck, John Megna, Frank Overton, Rosemary Murphy
Votes: 332,720
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee: 2011, 2017
3. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012)
PG-13 | 103 min | Drama
Charlie, a 15-year-old introvert, enters high school and is nervous about his new life. When he befriends his seniors, he learns to cope with his friend's suicide and his tumultuous past.
Director: Stephen Chbosky | Stars: Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ezra Miller, Paul Rudd
Votes: 547,697 | Gross: $17.74M
The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky: 2013, 2014
4. The Hunger Games (2012)
PG-13 | 142 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.
Director: Gary Ross | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 1,003,148 | Gross: $408.01M
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins: The Hunger Games was on the list in 2010 and 2013; the whole trilogy made the list in 2011
5. The Handmaid's Tale (2017– )
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Set in a dystopian future, a woman is forced to live as a concubine under a fundamentalist theocratic dictatorship.
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Yvonne Strahovski, Ann Dowd, O-T Fagbenle
Votes: 257,749
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: 2019
6. 13 Reasons Why (2017–2020)
TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Follows teenager Clay Jensen, in his quest to uncover the story behind his classmate and crush, Hannah, and her decision to end her life.
Stars: Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford, Christian Navarro, Alisha Boe
Votes: 315,280
13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher: 2012, 2017, 2018
7. Beloved (1998)
R | 172 min | Drama, History, Horror
A slave is visited by the spirit of a mysterious young woman.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Oprah Winfrey, Danny Glover, Yada Beener, Emil Pinnock
Votes: 9,578 | Gross: $22.85M
Beloved by Toni Morrison: 2012
8. Brave New World (1998 TV Movie)
87 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic totalitarian utopian society, babies are created through genetic engineering, everyone has a predestined place in society and their minds are conditioned to follow the rules. A tragic outsider jeopardizes the status quo.
Directors: Leslie Libman, Larry Williams | Stars: Peter Gallagher, Leonard Nimoy, Tim Guinee, Rya Kihlstedt
Votes: 2,147
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley: 2010, 2011
9. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (2017)
PG | 89 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
Two overly imaginative pranksters named George and Harold hypnotize their principal into thinking he's a ridiculously enthusiastic, incredibly dimwitted superhero named Captain Underpants.
Director: David Soren | Stars: Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms, Nick Kroll
Votes: 32,334 | Gross: $73.92M
The series of Captain Underpants books by Dav Pilkey: 2012, 2013, and 2018
10. Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
R | 125 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
Literature student Anastasia Steele's life changes forever when she meets handsome, yet tormented, billionaire Christian Grey.
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson | Stars: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Jennifer Ehle, Eloise Mumford
Votes: 335,602 | Gross: $166.17M
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James: 2012, 2013, 2015
11. The Glass Castle (2017)
PG-13 | 127 min | Biography, Drama
A young girl comes of age in a dysfunctional family of nonconformist nomads with a mother who's an eccentric artist and an alcoholic father who would stir the children's imagination with hope as a distraction to their poverty.
Director: Destin Daniel Cretton | Stars: Brie Larson, Woody Harrelson, Naomi Watts, Ella Anderson
Votes: 38,487 | Gross: $17.27M
The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls: 2012
12. Gossip Girl (2007–2012)
TV-14 | 42 min | Drama, Romance
Privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger who is always watching.
Stars: Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Ed Westwick
Votes: 193,198
Gossip Girl series of novels by Cecily von Ziegesar: 2011
13. The Hate U Give (2018)
PG-13 | 133 min | Crime, Drama
Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressure from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what's right.
Director: George Tillman Jr. | Stars: Amandla Stenberg, Regina Hall, Russell Hornsby, Anthony Mackie
Votes: 40,102 | Gross: $29.72M
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: 2017, 2018
14. The Kite Runner (2007)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama
After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble.
Director: Marc Forster | Stars: Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Atossa Leoni, Shaun Toub
Votes: 82,535 | Gross: $15.80M
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini: 2012, 2014, 2017
15. Looking for Alaska (2019)
TV-MA | 53 min | Drama, Romance
Teenager Miles enrolls in boarding school to try to gain a deeper perspective on life; after an unexpected tragedy, Miles and his friends try to make sense of what they have been through.
Stars: Charlie Plummer, Kristine Froseth, Denny Love, Jay Lee
Votes: 14,090
Looking for Alaska by John Green: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016
16. Persepolis (2007)
PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.
Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux
Votes: 100,127 | Gross: $4.45M
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi: 2014
17. Twilight (I) (2008)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
When Bella Swan moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen, a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Billy Burke, Sarah Clarke
Votes: 487,347 | Gross: $192.77M
The four Twilight Saga novels by Stephenie Meyer: 2010
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