Error message

Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_USER_AGENT in include() (line 3 of /var/www/html/D7/docroot/sites/all/includes/settings.php).
Notice: Undefined index: HTTP_USER_AGENT in include() (line 130 of /var/www/html/D7/docroot/sites/all/includes/settings.local.php).

Banned Books

Posted on: 16 September 2022
By: Sandman

Banned Books

It's that time of year again! Banned Books Week is here and (once again) the list of titles is overwhelming and horrifying.

For each of these titles, I've linked the most affordable copy available but if you'd like to have more collectible editions, let me know! I'll be glad to compile a list of beautifully bound volumes.

Why? Complaints about reading material generally fall into one of the following categories: language, sex, violence (especially rape and suicide), or politics. Perhaps the most common reason a book is challenged is the vague term "vulgarity" (which may mean language, spicy content, or even politics). Recently, I've noticed a lot of reports suggest that books are being challenged for being too "controversial." That really gives me pause; if we can't read and discuss controversial topics, what's the point?

When? Where? It's easy to think that this is something that happened "in the old days," but censorship is alive and well. Many of the titles on this list have been challenged repeatedly over the last century. I included locations and dates whenever possible, because I think it's important to understand that book banning is not only a problem of the past.

For many of these titles, I've included direct quotes from the complaints of would-be censors. (And yes, I'm still adding to the list, thanks for your patience!)

Top Ten Banned Books of 2022

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (2019)

Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images

Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison

Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit

All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson (2020)

Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and profanity and because it was considered to be sexually explicit

Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez (2015)

Banned, challenged, and restricted for depictions of abuse and because it was considered to be sexually explicit

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017)

Banned and challenged for profanity and violence and because it was thought to promote an anti-police message and indoctrination of a social agenda

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007)

Banned and challenged for profanity, sexual references, and use of a derogatory term

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (2015)

Banned and challenged because it was considered sexually explicit and degrading to women

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (1970)

Banned and challenged because it depicts child sexual abuse and was considered sexually explicit

This Book is Gay by Juno Dawson (2014)

Banned, challenged, relocated, and restricted for providing sex education and LGBTQIA+ content

Beyond Magenta by Susan Kuklin (2014)

Banned and challenged for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to be sexually explicit.

Banned & Challenged Classics

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

My personal favorite among the list of banned books will always be F451. How much more on the nose could this get? People trying to ban a book... about burning books. Yes. Really. #BookToFilm · #StaffPick

Challenged in: Panama City, Florida (1987) · Irvine, California (1992) · Conroe, Texas (2007) · Santa Rosa, Florida (2018)

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1885)

"bad word choice" "uninhibitedly vulgar" "most grotesque example of racism I've ever seen in my life" Writer Louisa May Alcott said that if Twain "[could not] think of something better to tell our pure-minded lads and lasses he had best stop writing for them."

Challenged in: many, many times over its life, including: Concord, MA (1885) · Brooklyn, NY (1905) · Renton, WA (2003) · Virginia (2016)

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (1951)

"anti-white" "obscene" "excess vulgar language" "statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled" "a filthy, filthy book" #BookToFilm

Challenged in: Tulsa, OK (1960) · Columbus, OH (1967) · Selinsgrove, PA (1975) · Pittsgrove, NJ (1977) · Issaquah, WA (1978) · Middleville, MI (1979) · North Jackson, OH (1980) · Anniston, AL · Morris, Manitoba (1982) · Libby, MT(1983) · De Funiak Springs, FL (1985) · Medicine Bow, WY (1986) · Napoleon, ND (1987) · Linton-Stockton, IN (1988) · Boron, CA (1989) · Grayslake, IL (1991) · Sidell, IL · Waterloo, IA · Duval County, FL · Carlisle, PA (1992) · Corona Norco, CA (1993) · New Richmond, WI · Goffstown, NH (1994) · St. Augustine, FL (1995) · Paris, ME (1996) · Brunswick, GA · Marysville, CA (1997) · Limestone County, AL · Savannah, GA (2000) · Summerville, SC · Glynn County, GA (2001) · Missoula, MT (2009)

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1936)

"language" #BookToFilm

Challenged in: Nazi Germany · the former Soviet Union · Anaheim, CA (1978) · Waukegan, IL (1984)

The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)

A word from the author: “I think banning books is a very, very dangerous thing. It takes away an important freedom. Any time there is an attempt to ban a book, you should fight it as hard as you can. It’s okay for a parent to say, ‘I don’t want my child to read this book.’ But it is not okay for anyone to try to make that decision for other people. The world portrayed in The Giver is a world where choice has been taken away. It is a frightening world. Let’s work hard to keep it from truly happening.” - Lois Lowry #BookToFilm

Challenged in: ·

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (1925)

Described as "controversial" and containing "language and sexual references." #BookToFilm

Challenged in: Charleston, SC (1987) · Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (2020)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)

"vulgar words" the "book is full of filth" uses the name of God and Jesus in a "vain and profane manner." #BookToFilm

Challenged in: East St. Louis, IL (1939) · Buffalo, NY(1939) · Kansas City, MO (1939) · Kern County CA (1939) · Ireland (1953) · Istanbul (1973) · Kanawha, IA · Vernon Verona Sherill, NY (1980) · Richford, VT (1981) · · Morris, Manitoba, Canada · Anniston, AL (1982) · Burlington, NC · Carthage, NC (1986) · Greenville, SC (1991) · Union City, TN (1993)

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck (1937)

"violent" "indecent" "offensive" "blasphemous" "racial slurs" "profanity and using God's name in vain."

Challenged in: Ireland (1953) · Syracuse, IN (1974) · Oil City, PA (I977) · Grand Blanc, MI (1979) · Continental, OH (1980) · Greenville, SC (1977) · Vernon Verona Sherill, NY (1980) · St. David, AZ (1981) · Tell City, IN (1982) · Scottsboro, AL (1983) · Knoxville, TN (1984) · Christian County, KY (1987) · Marion County, WV · Warrenville, IL · Berrien Springs, MI (1988) · Tuscaloosa, AL · Chattanooga, TN · Pine Bluff, AR · Shelby County, TN (1989) · Salina, KS · Rivera, TX (1990) · Fresno, CA · Carroll Township, PA · Suwannee, FL · Jacksboro, TN · Buckingham County, VA (1991) · Mobile, AL · Hamilton, OH · Waterloo, IA · Duval County, FL · Modesto, CA · Alexandria, LA (1992) · Mingus, AZ (1993) · Putnam County, TN · Loganville, GA (1994) · Galena, KS · Bemidji, MN schools · Toccoa, GA · Warm Springs, VA (1995) · Peru, IL · Louisville, OH · Panama City, FL · St. Cloud, MN (1997) · Oakley, CA · Barron, WI (1998) · Middlesex, PA · Tomah, WI School District (1999) · Grandville, MI · George County, MS (2002) · Normal, IL (2003) · Greencastle-Antrim, PA (2006) · Newton, IA · Olathe, KS (2007)

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)

"contains profanity and racial slurs" a "filthy, trashy novel" "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature" "conflicts with the values of the community" #BookToFilm

Challenged in: Eden Valley, MN (1977) · Vernon Verona Sherill, NY (1980) · Warren, IN (1981) · Waukegan, IL (1984) · Kansas City, MO · Park Hill, MO (1985) · Casa Grande, AZ (1985) · Santa Cruz, CA · Caddo Parish, LA (1995) · Moss Point, MS · Lindale, TX (1996) · Glynn County, GA · Muskogee, OK (2001) · Normal, IL (2003) · Durham, NC (2004) · Brentwood, TN (2006) · Cherry Hill, NJ (2007) · Brampton Ontario (2009)

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (1982)

"sexual and social explicitness" "troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality" "inappropriate language, graphic sexual scenes, and book's negative image of black men" "profanity and sexual references" "smut"

Challenged in: Oakland, CA (1984) · Hayward, CA (1985) · Newport News, VA (1986) · Saginaw, MI · Chattanooga, TN (1989) · Ten Sleep, WY (1990) · New Burn, NC (1992) · Souderton, PA (1992) · Southbury, CT · Junction City, OR · St. Augustine, FL (1995) · Round Rock, TX · High Point, NC (1996) · Jackson County, WV (1997) · Lima, OH · Newport News, VA (1999) · Fairfax County, VA (2002) · Morganton, NC (2008)

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

"too political" “vulgarity and sexual overtones”

Challenged in: Georgia (2022) · Marietta, OH (2020) · Wyomissing, PA (2018) · Guilford County, NC (2014) · Judson, TX (2007)

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou (1969)

"controversial"

Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya (1972)

"irreligious" "adult language, some violence, and several sexual references"

Challenged in: Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (2020)

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin (1953)

"rife with profanity and explicit sex"

Challenged in: ·Hudson Falls, NY (1994) ·Prince William County, VA (1988)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

"violent" "objectionable" #BookToFilm · #ClassicSciFiFantasy · #StaffPick

Challenged in: Orem, UT (1973) · Aurora, CO (1976) · Westport, MA (1977) · Anniston, AL (1982)

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (1959)

Found obscene in Boston, MA Superior Court (1965). The finding was reversed by the State Supreme Court the following year.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin (1899)

Challenged in: Arlington Heights, IL (2006)

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote (1966)

"sex, violence, and profanity"

Challenged in:Savannah, GA (2000)

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (1899)

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser (1925)

it "deals with low love affairs"

Challenged in: Boston, MA (1927) · Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany (1933)

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin (1859)

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)

"controversial" "profanity and images of violence and sexuality"

Challenged in: Butler, PA (1975) · St. Francis, WI (1975) · Yakima, WA (1994) · Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (2020)

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner (1930)

"offensive and obscene passages referring to abortion and used God's name in vain" "profanity and a segment about masturbation"

Challenged in: Mayfield, KY (1986) · Somerset, KY (1987) · Carroll County, MD (1991)

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791)

"socially offensive”

The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank (1952)

Challenged in:Grants Pass, OR (2020) · Northville, MI (2014) · Culpeper County, VA (2011)

Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert (1856)

Challenged in: France (1857)

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)

"inappropriate" "excessive violence and bad language" "racist" "demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal"

Challenged in: Dallas, TX (1974) · Sully Buttes, SD · Owen, NC (1981)· Marana, AZ (1983) · Olney, TX (1984) · Toronto, Canada (1988) · Waterloo, IA (1992) · Bloomfield, NY (2000)

Tess of the d’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy (1891)

Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (1850)

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (1961)

"controversial" "references to women as whores"

Challenged in: Strongsville, OH (1972) · Dallas, TX (1974) · Snoqualmie, WA (1979) · Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (2020)

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

"language and moral content" "centered around negative activity"

Challenged in: Ireland (1932) · Miller, MO (1980) · Yukon, OK (1988) · Corona-Norco, CA (1993) · Foley, AL (2000) · Mercedes, TX (2003) · Coeur D’Alene, ID (2008)

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway (1926)

Challenged in: Boston, MA (1930) · Ireland (1953) · Riverside, CA (1960) · San Jose, CA (1960) · Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany (1933).

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway (1929)

"a sex novel"

Challenged in: Boston, MA (1929) · Italy (1929) · Ireland (1939) · Dallas, TX (1974) · Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY (1980) · Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany (1933).

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway (1940)

#BookToFilm

Challenged by: ·U.S. Post Office (1940)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (1937)

"sexual explicitness"

Challenged in: Brentsville, VA (1997)

Ulysses by James Joyce (1922)

Banned and burned in: the U.S. (1918) · Ireland (1922) · Canada (1922) · England (1923) · England (1929)

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (1962)

"pornographic," "glorifies criminal activity," promotes "secular humanism." "garbage"

Challenged in: Greeley, CO (1971) · Strongsville, OH (1974) · Randolph, NY · Alton, OK (1975) · Westport, MA (1977) · St. Anthony, ID (1978) · Merrimack, NH (1982) · Aberdeen, WA (1986) · Placentia-Yorba Linda, CA (2000)

A Separate Peace by John Knowles (1959)

"offensive language" a "filthy, trashy sex novel" "profanity and negative attitudes" "graphic language" “unsuitable language”

Challenged in: Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY (1980) · Shippensburg, PA (1985) · Shelby County, TN (1989) · Champaign, IL · Troy, IL (1991) · McDowell County, NC (1996)

The Call of the Wild by Jack London (1903)

#BookToFilm

Challenged in: ·Italy (1929) · Yugoslavia (1929) · burned in Nazi bonfires (1933)

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence (1928)

“will corrupt the minds of young people”

Challenged in: U.S. Customs (1929) · Ireland (1932) · Poland (1932) · Australia (1959) · Japan (1959) · India (1959) · Canada (1960-62) · China (1987)

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence (1913)

Challenged in: Oklahoma City, OK (1961)

Women in Love by DH Lawrence

Challenged in: New York (1922)

Beloved by Toni Morrison

"violent" "language" "sexual material" "inappropriate"

Challenged in:St. Augustine, FL (1995) · Round Rock, TX (1996) · Madawaska, ME (1997) · Sarasota County, FL (1998) · Arlington Heights, IL (2006) · Coeur d’Alene School District, ID (2007) · Louisville, KY (2007)

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison (1977)

"filthy and inappropriate" "filth" "trash" "repulsive"

Challenged in: Columbus, OH (1993) · Richmond County, GA (1994) · St. Augustine, FL (1995) · St. Mary's County, MD (1998) · Shelby, MI (2009)

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer (1948)

Challenged in: Canada (1949) · Australia (1949)

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

"obscene"

Challenged in: U.S. Customs (1934) · Turkey (1986)

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)

Challenged in: France (1956-1959) · England (1955-59) · Argentina (1959) · New Zealand (1960) · Ocala, FL (2006)

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien (1990)

"controversial"

Challenged in: Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK (2020)

Animal Farm by George Orwell (1945)

"Orwell was a communist" "indecent images"

Challenged in: Moscow, Russia (1977) · DeKalb County (1979-82) · Panama City, FL (1987) · United Arab Emirates (2002)

1984 by George Orwell (1949)

"pro-communist" "contains explicit sexual matter"

Challenged in: Jackson County, FL (1981)

Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak (1957)

Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (1988)

"blasphemous to the prophet Mohammed"

Challenged in: West Yorkshire, England · Wichita, KS (1989)· Pakistan · Saudi Arabia · Egypt · Somalia · Sudan · Bangladesh · Malaysia · Quatar· Indonesia · South Africa · India · Bulgaria · Poland

All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque (1928)

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Challenged in:Yugoslavia (1929) · East Germany (1956) · South Korea (1985) · Burned in the Nazi bonfires (1933).

Sophie's Choice by William Styron (1979)

"sexual content"

Challenged in: South Africa (1979) · La Mirada, CA (2002)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

The Lord of the Rings (series) by J.R.R. Tolkien (1937)

"satanic" #100BestNovels · #BookToFilm · #StaffPick

Burned in: Alamagordo, NM (2001)

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (1848)

Rabbit, Run (series) by John Updike (1960)

"profanity" "obscene" "indecent"

Challenged in: Ireland (1962) · Aroostock County, ME (1976) · Medicine Bow, WY (1986)

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)

"foul language" "contains and makes references to religious matters" "explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language." "depictions of torture, ethnic slurs, and negative portrayals of women." "illustrated a larger literary, artistic or political message" #BookToFilm · #ClassicSciFiFantasy

Challenged in: Rochester, MI (1972) · Drake, ND (1973) · Levittown, NY (1975) · North Jackson, OH (1979) · Lakeland, FL (1982) · Racine, WI (1984-86) · Owensboro, KY (1985) · LaRue County, KY · Fitzgerald, GA (1987) · Baton Rouge, LA (1988) · Monroe, MI (1989) · Round Rock, TX (1996) · Prince William County, VA (1998) · Coventry, RI (2000) · Arlington Heights, IL (2006) · Howell, MI (2007)

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut (1960)

"A satirical commentary on modern man and his madness. An apocalyptic tale of this planet’s ultimate fate, it features a midget as the protagonist, a complete, original theology created by a calypso singer, and a vision of the future that is at once blackly fatalistic and hilariously funny. A book that left an indelible mark on an entire generation of readers, Cat’s Cradle is one of the twentieth century’s most important works - and Vonnegut at his very best." #ClassicSciFiFantasy

Challenged in: Strongsville, OH (1972) · Merrimack, NH (1982)

Native Son by Richard Wright (1940)

"objectionable" language. "violence, sex, and profanity." "vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit." "sexually graphic and violent."

Challenged in: Goffstown, NH (1978) · Elmwood Park, NJ (1978) · North Adams, MA (1981) · Berrian Springs, MI (1988) · Yakima, WA (1994) · High Point, NC (1996) · Fremont, CA (1998) · Fort Wayne, IN (1998)