Novel
What If It's Us
What If It's Us is a novel by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silverra. The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values.
Description
About the work
What If It's Us is a novel by Becky Albertalli and Adam Silverra. The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values.
The surviving record is interesting because it shows how even ordinary-looking books can acquire a charged political afterlife. As a novel, it can be read not only for subject matter but for the way form, tone, and circulation make a text feel dangerous, intimate, or politically usable to anxious officials.
It also matters as part of a wider censorship history in Malaysia. The present page is a dossier starter built from source-tracked ban records; the surviving note currently says: The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values. More publication history, translations, and close reading can be added later.
Overview
Why it was banned
What If It's Us entered censorship debates as a novel associated with controversy, publication history, and state scrutiny. In the current dossier, the main state objections cluster around political sensitivity.
The earliest event currently captured here is Date not yet pinned down in Malaysia, where Malaysia authorities banned publication or circulation. The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values. The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values.
This entry is still incomplete: more jurisdictions, court orders, and translated justifications should be added over time.
This page is intentionally incomplete. The ban history is a starter dataset, not a final census of every jurisdiction or decree.
Counter and critical readings
Context, rebuttals, and criticism
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature Nicholas J. Karolides, Margaret Bald, and Dawn B. Sova
A compact reference on how censorship systems moved across states, churches, and courts.
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. Anne Lyon Haight
Useful for comparing older obscenity, heresy, and political bans with modern free-speech disputes.
Ban history
Known government actions
| Date | Jurisdiction | Action | Reason | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date not yet pinned down | Malaysia | banned publication or circulation | The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values. | The ministry explained on January 7, 2025, that the ban is part of a preventive measure to stop the spread of ideologies and movements that conflict with Malaysia's multicultural values. |
Sources
Harvested references for this page
- Wikipedia: List of books banned by governments reference partial
- Wikipedia REST summary API database partial
- 100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature book partial
- Banned Books: 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D. book partial