19 Banned Books That Actually Changed Your Life

    "I can honestly say that reading it for the first time saved my life."

    Farrah Penn
    by Farrah Penn

    BuzzFeed Junior Writer

    We asked followers of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us which banned books* influenced them the most. Here are their recommendations.

    *The following books were banned by the user's town, school, or library.

    1. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

    Penguin Random House
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Katherine Hemminger, Facebook.

    2. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

    Penguin Random House
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Mayaxx1998.

    3. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

    Penguin
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by BundtCakes.

    4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

    Hachette
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Sara Hammond, Facebook.

    5. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

    Hachette
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by oliviaw12.

    6. The Giver by Lois Lowry

    Laurel-Leaf
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Sophie Reynolds, Facebook.

    7. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

    Penguin
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by BundtCakes.

    8. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

    Penguin Random House
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Jocelyn Schartiger, Facebook.

    9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

    Simon & Schuster
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by emilyr463d9094a.

    10. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

    Penguin
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by a-little-kiwi.

    11. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

    Hachette
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by luizashandyp.

    12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

    Simon & Schuster
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by pineapple412.

    13. Looking for Alaska by John Green

    Penguin
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by cokeandhockey5811.

    14. Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

    Penguin
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Leslie Danielle Wyatt, Facebook.

    15. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

    Hachette
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by taylorw4ae3e5d56.

    16. Beloved by Toni Morrison

    Penguin Random House
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Faithy6731.

    17. Keeping You a Secret by Julie Anne Peters

    Hachette
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by cokeandhockey5811.

    18. The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

    Riverhead Books
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by Dóa Dagný Böðvarsdóttir, Facebook.

    19. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

    Scholastic
    Thinkstock

    Submitted by jodigracek.

    Note: Submissions have been edited for length and/or clarity.

    Did we miss your favorite banned book? Tell us in the comments below! If you want to be featured in similar BuzzFeed posts, don't forget to follow the BuzzFeed Community on Facebook!