This is an important week for book lovers. It’s Banned Books Week, an annual event coordinated by The Office of Intellectual Freedom (a division of The American Library Association), that “highlights the value of free and open access to information and brings together the entire book community—librarians, educators, authors, publishers, booksellers and readers of all types—in shared support of the freedom to seek and to express ideas.”

Launched in 1982 in response to an increase in the number of challenges, the campaign remains as relevant as ever today. Over 2,500 titles were targeted for banning last year (here’s a list of the top 13 from 2022) that range from classic literature to more modern texts. For this year’s event, beloved TV and film star and long-time champion of reading LeVar Burton has been named Honorary Chair, leading the campaign with the theme “Let Freedom Read!”

But Burton isn’t the only one from Hollywood taking an interest in banned books. These frequently challenged books from over the years caught the eye of filmmakers and made their way onto the big screen.

Check many of them out on Kanopy, the streaming video service from your library or borrow the book on the Libby app.

Movie: Maurice starring Rupert Graves, James Wilby and Hugh Grant (available on Kanopy)
Book: Maurice by E. M Forster

Though Forster completed Maurice in 1914, he left instructions for it be published only after his death. Set against the stifling conformity of pre-World War I English society, this is a story of coming to terms with one's sexuality and identity in the face of disapproval and misunderstanding. The 1987 film adaptation was nominated for Best Costume Design at the Academy Awards.

Movie: Lord of the Flies starring Tom Chapin, James Aubrey and Hugh Edwards (available on Kanopy)
Book: Lord of the Flies by William Golding

This iconic novel from 1954 centers around a plane crash, stranding a group of schoolboys who hoped for adventure and freedom, but found something much different. In the hands of the renowned experimental theater director Peter Brook, Golding’s legendary novel about the primitivism lurking beneath civilization becomes a film as raw and ragged as the lost boys at its center.

Movie: Catch-22 starring Alan Arkin, Jon Voight and Martin Sheen (available on Kanopy)
Book: Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Set during World War II, this satirical war novel remains a cornerstone of American literature and one of the funniest—and most celebrated—books of all time. Oscar-winner Mike Nichols superbly directs this cinematic adaptation of Joseph Heller's scathing black comedy about a small group of pilots in the Mediterranean in 1944.

Movie: Lolita starring Jeremy Irons, Melanie Griffith and Dominique Swain (available on Kanopy)
Book: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

The most famous and controversial novel from one of the greatest writers of the 20th century tells the story of Humbert Humbert’s obsessive, devouring and doomed passion for the young Dolores Haze. The 1997 adaptation of the classic tells a disturbing tale of tortured and forbidden love.

Movie: Sophie’s Choice starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Rita Karin (available on Kanopy)
Book: Sophie’s Choice by William Styron

Winner of the National Book Award and a modern classic, Sophie’s Choice centers on three characters: Stingo, a sexually frustrated aspiring novelist; Nathan, his charismatic but violent Jewish neighbor; and Sophie, an Auschwitz survivor who is Nathan’s lover. Their entanglement in one another’s lives will build to a stirring revelation of agonizing secrets that will change them forever. The 1982 movie adaptation was an Academy Award winner.

Movie: 1984 starring John Hurt, Richard Burton and Suzanna Hamilton (available on Kanopy)
Book: 1984 by George Orwell

As literary political fiction, 1984 is considered a classic novel of the social science fiction subgenre. Since its publication in 1949, many of its terms and concepts, such as Big Brother, doublethink, thoughtcrime, Newspeak and memory hole, have become contemporary vernacular. The film was released in 1984 and stars Richard Burton in his final feature film performance.

Movie: Harry Potter (1-7) starring Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Richard Harris
Book: Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin! Having become classics of our time, the Harry Potter stories bring a message of hope, belonging and the enduring power of truth and love. Each of the 7 books in the series has been made into a movie (release dates 2001-2011).

Movie: A Wrinkle in Time starring Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling
Book: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

This ground-breaking science fiction and fantasy classic is the story of the adventures in space and time of Meg, Charles Wallace and Calvin O'Keefe. They are in search of Meg's father, a scientist who disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government on the tesseract problem. A tesseract (in case the reader doesn't know) is a wrinkle in time. The film version was released by Disney in 2018.

TV series: Thirteen Reasons Why starring Dylan Minnette, Katherine Langford and Christian Navarro
Book: Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

Clay Jensen returns home from school to find a strange package with his name on it lying on his porch. Inside he discovers several cassette tapes recorded by Hannah Baker—his classmate and crush—who committed suicide two weeks earlier. Hannah’s voice tells him that there are 13 reasons why she decided to end her life. Clay is one of them. If he listens, he’ll find out why. The TV series was released on Netflix in 2017.

Movie: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close starring Scott Rudin, Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock
Book: Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer

A funny, uplifting novel about a boy's journey through New York in the aftermath of September 11. With humor, tenderness and awe, Jonathan Safran Foer confronts the traumas of our country's difficult history. The film made its debut in 2011.

Movie: Of Mice and Men starring Gary Sinise, John Malkovich and Ray Walston
Book: Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Over 75 years since its first publication, Steinbeck's tale of commitment, loneliness, hope and loss remains one of America's most widely read and taught novels. The 1992 film directed by Gary Sinise brings to life this controversial tale of friendship and tragedy during the Great Depression.

Movie: The Kite Runner starring Khalid Abdalla, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada and Atossa Leoni
Book: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, caught in the tragic sweep of history, The Kite Runner transports readers to Afghanistan at a tense and crucial moment of change and destruction. The 2007 film version depicts the powerful friendship between Amir and Hassan, and also explores the power of reading, the price of betrayal and the possibility of redemption.