One of the most prohibited books of all time - Mollie Godfrey episode artwork

EPISODE · Jun 19, 2026 · 7 MIN

One of the most prohibited books of all time - Mollie Godfrey

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Explore why Maya Angelou’s memoir “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” became one of the most frequently banned books of all time.--In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature’s most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents pushing for the ban said the book was both “sexually explicit” and “anti-white.” The book at the center of this debate was Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” Why was the memoir so controversial? Mollie Godfrey digs into one of the most banned books of all time.Lesson by Mollie Godfrey, directed by Laura White.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/one-of-the-most-banned-books-of-all-time-mollie-godfreyDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/one-of-the-most-banned-books-of-all-time-mollie-godfrey#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.laurajenniferwhite.co.uk----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, Eddy Trochez, OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart and Nathan Nguyen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore why Maya Angelou’s memoir “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” became one of the most frequently banned books of all time.--In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature’s most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents pushing for the ban said the book was both “sexually explicit” and “anti-white.” The book at the center of this debate was Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings.” Why was the memoir so controversial? Mollie Godfrey digs into one of the most banned books of all time.Lesson by Mollie Godfrey, directed by Laura White.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/one-of-the-most-banned-books-of-all-time-mollie-godfreyDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/one-of-the-most-banned-books-of-all-time-mollie-godfrey#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.laurajenniferwhite.co.uk----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, Eddy Trochez, OnlineBookClub.org, Eric Shear, Leith Salem, Omar Hicham, Adrian Rotaru, Brad Sullivan, Karen Ho, Niklas Frimberger, Hunter Manhart and Nathan Nguyen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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One of the most prohibited books of all time - Mollie Godfrey

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Explore why Maya Angelou’s memoir “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings” became one of the most frequently banned books of all time.--In 1998, a school district removed one of American literature’s most acclaimed works from its curriculum. Parents...

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