The interesting thing about Banned books is that they’re everywhere. While it may seem that it’s redundant to say that, because the word “Banned” is used to refer to them, however they can still be found in many places. Banned books refer to books that have been banned anywhere in the US even if the books can still be found in other states and in bookstores. 

Out of the top 10 banned books from 2022, I have read one. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas, can be considered a coming of age book. The book is about 16 year-old Starr Carter and her experience of police brutality against her friend Khalil Harris. Starr is the sole witness of the murder of Khalil by a police officer who thought a hairbrush was a weapon. She has to decide whether to speak out against the officer, or stand back and watch the movement happen and she struggles with the decision. Starr lives in Garden Heights, the story’s low income neighborhood, but attends a suburban prep school that has a predominantly white population. 

In my opinion, the book gives a great light on problems in the world with police brutality and the problems witnesses have to face, especially those that are people of color. The United States has had problems with violence from those in power and Angie Thomas’s story helps shed light on it just like the Black Lives Matter movement did. If you want to learn more about the struggles that people of color face, this fictional work is one of the best I’ve found.