Yes, More Happy Than Not Is Banned!
ISBN: 9781616955601
Adam Silvera’s debut novel is set in the Bronx, where sixteen-year-old Aaron Soto is struggling to be happy after his father’s suicide. When he develops feelings for Thomas, a new kid in the neighborhood, Aaron considers Leteo, a controversial procedure that can selectively erase memories. The prospect of deleting his attraction to Thomas, and the pain that comes with it, drives the novel toward a gut-punch ending. Silvera writes about queerness, masculinity, class, and the desire to be someone other than who you are with a specificity that comes from writing what he knows.
More Happy Than Not was challenged 9 times in the 2024-2025 PEN America data, primarily in Florida and Tennessee school districts. The challenges cite LGBTQ+ content, sexual themes, and depictions of self-harm. Silvera has become one of the most visible YA authors advocating against book bans, frequently speaking about how his books reach queer teens of color who have few other mirrors in literature. More Happy Than Not asks what it would mean to erase a core part of your identity, and then it shows the cost. Banning a book about the harm of erasing queer identity from a library is, by any measure, a textbook example of the thing the book warns against.
Why Was It Banned?
Where Was It Banned?
Read It Anyway
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is More Happy Than Not banned?
Yes, More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera has been banned or challenged in 14 documented instances across 4 states in the United States, including Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas. It remains one of the most frequently challenged books in America.
Why was More Happy Than Not banned?
More Happy Than Not has been challenged and banned for the following reasons: LGBTQ+ Themes, Sexual Content, Violence. These challenges have come from school boards, libraries, and parent groups seeking to restrict access to the book.
Where is More Happy Than Not banned?
As of 2025, More Happy Than Not has been banned or challenged in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Texas. Notable bans include Union County School District (2025), Cobb County School District (2024), Monroe County Schools (2025).