Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Stephen King’s “Carrie” is a thrilling retelling of the classic horror novel—and one that offers subtle commentary on book bans for eagle-eyed viewers.
In the new series currently available on Prime, Flanagan reimagines the tragic story of the telekinetic teenager who is bullied and mocked by classmates for a modern audience, with social media taking center stage as means and method of bullying.
In episode two, as Carrie struggles to fit in at her new high school, she bonds with the school’s guidance counselor over their shared love of reading and their ability to recite favorite literary quotes. She shares with him her personal struggles after the recent death of her father and her insecurities about being the new kid in school. Hoping to cheer her up, he takes her to the small school library for the first time, a move that fills Carrie with wonder.
Surrounded by books that she had been denied by her conservative, religious mother, Carrie is overwhelmed by the free access to knowledge and the freedom to read whatever she wants. Perusing the stacks, she selects several seminal works from the shelves before settling down with a pile containing Maya Angelou’s “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings,” Malinda Lo’s “Last Night at The Telegraph Club,” Margaret Atwood’s “The Handmaid’s Tale,” John Green’s “Looking For Alaska,” and Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest.”
I Love Libraries readers will recognize these books from their places over the years on the American Library Association’s (ALA) annual Top 10 Banned Books lists. These books have all been banned or challenged in U.S. schools as part of an ongoing effort to restrict books that explore race and racism, people of color, LGBTQ+ identities, and sexuality.
ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) reported that, in 2025, most attempts at book censorship (92%) came from “pressure groups, government officials, and decision makers,” with a small percentage originating from individual parents. In short, that’s a small minority of people trying to dictate and control what people read.
And that’s just the beginning.
OIF tracked 4,235 unique titles that were challenged in 2025, the second highest ever documented by ALA. The highest ever documented was 4,240 in 2023. Of those unique titles challenged in 2025, 1,671 (39%) represent the lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ people and people of color.
OIF also documented 5,668 books banned from libraries that year. An additional 920 books were censored through access restrictions such as relocation or requiring parental permission. This is both the highest number of titles censored in one year and the highest rate of challenges resulting in censorship from 1990–2025.
In an age of book banning, it’s apropos that this new version of “Carrie” includes a reference to the ongoing fight over what young people can read. The source novel has faced its own bans and challenges over the years, and its author has the unfortunate distinction of being the most-banned author in U.S. public schools. It’s fitting that this new, modern Carrie would discover and find solace in books that offer perspectives that challenge those instilled in her by her abusive family.
How you can support libraries
With library funding being gutted and censorship on the rise, supporting libraries is more critical than ever. If you’re looking for a way to help, we urge you to become a Supporter of the American Library Association by donating.
At the American Library Association, we are here to protect libraries — today and for generations to come. What does your donation do? It helps a neighbor gain skills to start a business. It helps a child discover themselves through books and programs. And it helps keep libraries strong, open, and free for everyone.
Become a Supporter
Subscribe to the I Love Libraries newsletter! You’ll get news from the library world, advocacy updates, author interviews, book lists, and more delivered to your inbox every month.
Photos courtesy of Prime Video.
