Carrie reading list: Every library book Carrie picks has been banned

Carrie White (Summer H. Howell) never got to read that precious stack of library books, but you can. Even though every single one of them has been banned IRL.

In the second episode of Mike Flanagan's Carrie series, the Stephen King adaptation acknowledges other authors' work. Introduced to the school library by guidance counsellor Mr Morton (Tim Bagley), Carrie has one of her many Matilda moments, surrounded by the possibility of reading books other than the Bible — and the secret stash her neighbour (Naika Toussaint) leaves for her in the birdhouse.

In episode 2, Carrie selects a collection of titles to read, and happily sits down to devour them. However, her mother (Samantha Sloyan) shows up at school, and her hopes of reading such material are dashed, due to her mother's religiously fundamentalist conservatism.

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But what books are they? Well, Carrie has picked some of the most banned or challenged books of all time, which seems fitting for our oppressed adolescent heroine. And it's also a fate shared by Stephen King's own books, over 50 of which have been banned in multiple school districts across Florida.

Book censorship in the U.S. is scarily still on the rise, and the systematic removal of titles in school libraries is becoming alarmingly normalised. Notably, most challenged or banned titles are "the result of targeted campaigns to remove books with characters of color, LGBTQ+ identities, and sexual content from public school classrooms and libraries," according to PEN America.

The fact that Carrie can read these books at all in Mike Flanagan's series is due to her school being located in Maine, however, the state is not free of book bans — Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer has been the most-challenged book in the state, having been removed from at least one school library.

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Here's a list of the books Carrie selects:

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Perhaps Tina Blake (Josie Totah) should actually read Maya Angelou's 1969 autobiography before quoting her in public meetings. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is one of the most regularly banned or challenged books of all time, and it's top of Carrie's list.

Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo

Carrie picks Malinda Lo's 2021 historical YA novel, the story of a Chinese American girl who explores her identity as a lesbian. Lo's books, including Last Night at the Telegraph Club, have been banned, challenged, or restricted in 16 states, and in 2025, it was one of the most banned books in America.

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

I mean, a tale of female oppression, in part orchestrated by women in powerful positions, all in adherence to a fundamentalist, distorted version of Christianity. Why on Earth would Carrie be drawn to such a narrative? The Handmaid's Tale has been challenged and banned so many times Margaret Atwood released an "unburnable" edition, which is fitting for Carrie.

Looking for Alaska by John Green

Grief? Teen relationships? A search for meaning? Carrie might have found solace in John Green's lauded (and heavily banned) 2005 YA novel. Looking for Alaska took the uncoveted crown of most challenged book of 2015 and remains one of the most regularly banned books in America.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Ken Kesey's 1962 critique of psychiatric institutions sitting on Carrie's reading list has been the target of book bans since the '70s. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.

Now, want to read banned books for free? Mashable's got you covered.

Carrie is now streaming on Prime Video.