The Banned Book Page



"Restriction of free thought and free speech is the most dangerous of all subversions. It is the one un-American act that could most easily defeat us."—Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas,"

Book banning as been around, just about as long as have books. For one reason or another nearly every book can be found to have something that is objectionable to someone. The line is crossed when the objector tries to impose his/her view on other people by making the book unavailable for further reading. The primary object to any book banning, as I see it, is to preserve a status quo of ideas that the book may challange. If the book can be banned, the status quo is protected. If the book cannot be banned, then the status quo is in danger of being questioned - and there are many vested interests in maintaining any particular status quo.

Now, there is a big difference between a book being BANNED and a book being CHALLENGED. In reality there are NO BANNED BOOKS in the United States of America. A BANNED book would imply that there is some organization that can declare a book banned, and have some kind of enforcement power to keep the book out of the hands of all American people. There is no such organization. (except the U.S. Copyright office - which to my knowledge has never enforced a book ban by any copyright holder - except for the ban on the movie SONG OF THE SOUTH)

CHALLENGES, however, are common and often successful. Challenges to books are objections that are raised to organizations that DO have the power to remove books from various collections, but not the power to eliminate the book entirely. Typically, books are challenged in schools or churches. Schools have to deal with parental objections to books frequently, and should have policies in place to handle such objections, and a means to decide the merit. It does not seem unreasonable to say that a book is inappropriate to the age of child. Saying a book should never be available to any child, no matter what the age seems a little extreme.

Most of the books that are called "banned" have simply been "challenged" here and there, and are freely available to anyone who wants to read them.

(As an aside, my brother and I had an arguement one time about a banned movie - SONG OF THE SOUTH. I said that since there was no organization to do the banning, then it could not be banned. He pointed out that, it was banned, because the copyright holder (Disney) does not allow the sale, distribution, or showing of this film in the United States, and that anyone attempting to do so can be taken to court and fined. I conceeded that he was correct since it meets the 2 criteria for banning - 1) There is an enforcement organization (Disney) and there are legal consequences to challenging the ban (penalties of copyright law).

This is indeed a sad fact since this movie is a historic event:

  1. It stars the first ever LIVE actor hired by the Disney company - a black man - James Baskett (who won an Honorary Academy Award).
  2. It stars an academy award winner - Hattie McDaniels - Best Actress in a Supporting Role - Gone With The Wind
  3. It is the origin of one of the most popular Disney songs of all time - Zippity Doo Daa
  4. It's historic in its content as a slice of 1940's American History.

Oh well.... someday when the copy right runs out... if ever... we can all see it again.)

Back to banned Books.

According to THIS CHART it seems that Parents are the biggest intiators of a book ban.

And according to THIS CHART the biggest reasons for banning books are (in order):

  1. Offensive Language (see seperate page on the use of the "N-word")
  2. Sexual Explicitness
  3. Other
  4. Unsuited to age group
  5. Violence (why do people object more to Sex than Violence, I will never understand)
  6. Occult or Satanic content
  7. Homosexuality
  8. Religious Viewpoint
  9. Political Viewpoint
  10. Drugs
  11. Racism
  12. Nudity (in a novel? These are not picture books we are talking about here.)
  13. Sex Education (well, if you have to get your education from a novel, at least you can READ !!!)

There are other reasons on the chart... What is interesting is that in the 1990's Homosexuality was 6th on the list. It seems that we are becoming more tolerant of the GAY community and less tolerate of the SATANIC community.

The following contains notes on books from my list that have been banned for one reason or another. After I read a book I look it up to see if it was ever censored. Generally most references say that a book was banned, but not by who and why. In every case I have tried to come up with the name of the banner, and the reason, if possible.






1984 by Orwell, George

Challenged in the Jackson County, FL (1981) because Orwell's novel is "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter." Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.

--- Anyone who thinks this novel is PRO-COMMUNIST is just to stupid to be paid attention to, or has not read the book.

Sci-fi/Dystopian novel Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Accused of anti-semitism. Challenged in Florida for pro-communist and sexual themes.


A Clockwork Orange by Burgess, Anthony

If you would expect ANY book to be banned, you would expect it of this one. Violent sex, senseless acts of violence, rape, a socio-pathic view of society - and of society hitting back, and a lack of respect for religion. All these themes would get this book to the top of the banned books list. And so it appears to be in many references on the internet.

Yet, I cannot find a single specific instance of this book being banned.

One interesting note is that the book has 21 chapters, but was originally printed in the United States with only 20. Very strange, considering that the 21st chapter is the ONE chapter that is NOT violent, but instead, comtemplative and filled with a final moral. Why would they print it without this chapter - god knows.

And once again, this seems to be a book where the MOVIE was banned more than the book.

The only specific instances of this book being banned are as follows:

In 1973 a book seller in Orem, Utah, was arrested to selling the novel. Charges were later dropped, but the book seller as forced to close the store and relocate to another city. Removed from Aurora, Colo. high school (1976) due to "objectionable" language and from high school classrooms in Westport, Mass. (1977) because of "objectionable" language. Removed from two Anniston, Ala. High school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restricted basis. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide, ed. Robert P. Doyle.


A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Challenged in Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy sex novel."
Challenged at the Fannett-Metal High School in Shippensburg, Pa. (1985) because of its allegedly offensive language.
Challenged as appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, Tenn. school system (1989) because the novel contained "offensive language."
Challenged at the McDowell County, N.C. schools (1996) because of "graphic language."
Source: Newsletter on Intellectual Freedom, May 1980, p. 62; Nov. 1985, p. 204; Jan, 1990, pp 11-12; Jan. 1997, p. 11.


Animal Farm by Orwell, George

Animal Farm is regarded as a successful blend of political satire and animal fable. Completed in 1944, the book remained unpublished for more than a year because British publishing firms declined to offend the country's Soviet allies. Finally the small leftist firm of Secker & Warburg printed it, and the short novel became a critical and popular triumph. It has been translated into many languages but was banned by Soviet authorities throughout the Soviet-controlled regions of the world because of its political content.


As I Lay Dying by Faulkner, William

In 1986, Graves County, Kentucky, the school board banned this book about a poor white family in the midst of crisis, from its high school English reading list because of 7 passages which made reference to God or abortion and used curse words such as "bastard," "goddam," and "son of a bitch." None of the board members had actually read the book.

Banned in the Graves County School District in Mayfield, KY (1986) because it contained "offensive and obscene passages referring to abortion and used God's name in vain." The decision was reversed a week later after intense pressure from the ACLU and considerable negative publicity.
Challenged as a required reading assignment in an advanced English class of Pulaski County High School in Somerset, KY (1987) because the book contains "profanity and a segment about masturbation."
Challenged, but retained, in the Carroll County, MD schools (1991). Two school board members were concerned about the book's coarse language and dialect.
Banned at Central High School in Louisville, KY (1994) temporarily because the book uses profanity and questions the existence of God. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.


Brave New World by Huxley, Aldous

Banned in Ireland (1932). Removed from classroom in Miller, MO (1980), because it made promiscuous sex "look like fun" and challenged frequently throughout the U.S.
Challenged as required reading at the Yukon, Oklahoma High School (1988) because of "the book's language and moral content."
Challenged as required reading in the Corona-Norco, California Unified School District (1993) because it is "centered around negative activity." Specifically, parents objected that the characters' sexual behavior directly opposed the health curriculum, which taught sexual abstinence until marriage. The book was retained, and teachers selected alternatives if students object to Huxley's novel. Brave New World was again challenged in Foley, Alabama (2000) because of the depictions of "orgies, self-flogging, suicide" and characters who show "contempt for religion, marriage, and the family." The book was removed from the library, pending review. Source: 2001 Banned Books Resource Guide.

Book banners have cited "negative activities" (undoubtedly referring to the sex and drugs) in the book as reason enough to prevent students from reading the book. [I guess the children's sex games could be included in that... lol.. and being punished for not playing the sex games... oh boy]


The Call of the Wild by London, Jack

Jack London's writing was censored in several European dictatorships in the 1920s and 1930s. In 1929, Italy banned all cheap editions of his Call of the Wild, and that same year Yugoslavia banned all his works as being "too radical". The Nazis also burned some of his socialist-friendly books like The Iron Heel along with the works of many other authors.

(You have to wonder what dictators had against dogs?)

The Call of the Wild, Jack London Banned in Italy (1929), Yugoslavia (1929), and burned in Nazi bonfires (1933). Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.


Candide by Voltaire

Published in 1759, Voltaire's critically hailed satire, Candide, U.S. Customers seized Harvard-bound copies in the 1930's claiming obscenity. Two Harvard professors defended the work, and it was later admitted in a different edition. In 1944, the US Post Office demanded the omission of Candide from a mailed Concord Books catalog.

Meanwhile, Catholic Church. Bishop Etienne Antoine (1834 - 1903) wrote: "We prohibit, under canonical law, the printing or sale of these books..." (to be fair, I cannot find the original reference for this quote - but it seems to be associated with this book. And no wonder - Candide pokes merciless fun and criticism of all characters involved with the church.)


Catch-22 by Heller, Joseph

Banned in Strongsville, Ohio (1972), but the school board's action was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District. Challenged at the Dallas, Tex. Independent School District high school libraries (1974); in Snoqualmie, Wash. (1979) because of its several references to "whores." 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide, Robert P. Doyle.

This book was banned and/or challenged more than once. It was banned in Srongsville, Ohio in 1972 and that decision was overturned in 1976. It was also challenged in Dallas, Texas (1974) and again in Snoqualmie, Washington (1979).


Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, Ray

This book, like no other, is about censorship. People apparently think that this book itself has been challenged many times since it's publication. That is simply not true. I can find only 2 instances where this took place, and they are below.

Ray Bradbury himself speaks to the issue of how people have tried to change his book over the years, and how they have suceeded with others. It is an interesting read, and so I quote it here in it's entirety.

" - fill in - "

That this book would be challanged should be the definition of irony !!! Here is what I found...

Mississippi School District Bans Book on Censorship: "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
February 1, 1999
West Marion High School in Foxworth, a rural Mississippi town, is the place where recent events aimed at censorship occurred. The book, Fahenreit 451, was on the reading list for several of the English classes. However, after a parent complained to the superintendent about the use of the word "God damn" in the book, the book was removed from the required reading list. Interestingly, the complaint did not surface until the book report was due -- more than a month after the reading assignment was given.

I also found the following article when I googled this book... read this.. it is unbelieveable:(from http://www.hcnonline.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=17270600&BRD=1574&PAG=461)

A Caney Creek High School dad is fired up because the Conroe Independent School District uses the book "Fahrenheit 451" as classroom reading material.

Alton Verm, of Conroe, objects to the language and content in the book. His 15-year-old daughter Diana, a CCHS sophomore, came to him Sept. 21 with her reservations about reading the book because of its language. "The book had a bunch of very bad language in it," Diana Verm said. "It shouldn't be in there because it's offending people. ... If they can't find a book that uses clean words, they shouldn't have a book at all." Alton Verm filed a "Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials" Thursday with the district regarding "Fahrenheit 451," written by Ray Bradbury and published in 1953. He wants the district to remove the book from the curriculum.

"It's just all kinds of filth," said Alton Verm, adding that he had not read "Fahrenheit 451." "The words don't need to be brought out in class. I want to get the book taken out of the class."

He looked through the book and found the following things wrong with the book: discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk," references to the Bible and using God's name in vain. He said the book's material goes against their religions beliefs. The Verms go to Grand Parkway Church in Porter. "We went them to go after God," said Glen Jalowy Jr., Grand Parkway Church youth minister. "We encourage them that what you put in your mind and heart is what comes out."

Alton Verm said he doesn't understand how the district can punish students for using bad language, yet require them to read a book with bad language as part of a class.

Diana Verm and another classmate decided to read an alternative book. They leave the classroom when the class reads or discusses "Fahrenheit 451," she said. The two students were given "Ella Minnow Pea" by Mark Dunn because it shares common themes with "Fahrenheit 451," said Chris Hines, CISD assistant superintendent for secondary education.

"Fahrenheit 451" is a science fiction piece that poses a warning to society about the preservation and passing on of knowledge as well as asks the question about whether the government should do the thinking for the people, Hines stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Other themes include conformity vs. individuality, freedom of speech and the consequences of losing it, the importance of remembering and understanding history and technology as help to humans and as hindrances to humans, Hines stated in the e-mail.

"They're not reading books just to read them," Hines said in a telephone interview. "They're reading it for a purpose. ... We respect people's rights to express their concerns and we have a policy in place to handle that." A selection process is used for materials other than textbooks, according to district policy. The materials must meet various standards, be appropriate for the subject, age and social and emotional development of the students and motivate students to examine their own attitudes and behavior, according to district policy.

While the district does not know of any other challenges to "Fahrenheit 451," there may have been students who have decided to read a different book. The district estimates about 1 percent of students request to read a different book than assigned, according to the e-mail. "Fahrenheit 451" has been used in CISD curriculum for at least 19 years and "likely prior to that," Hines said in the e-mail.

The district hasn't received challenges on any other books in the four years he's been with the district, Hines said.

A district student, employee or resident can challenge any educational material in CISD on the basis or appropriateness, according to CISD EFA (local) policy. An informal reconsideration is first attempted. Informal requests are not documented, so Hines said he did not know how many requests were handled informally. The person can make a formal challenge, which Alton Verm did. A committee will be appointed to review the material, discuss the material and report findings about the request to the principal, parent and superintendent, Hines said. The process takes about two weeks.

The Montgomery, New Caney, Splendora and Willis school districts have similar policies. NCISD banned "Draw Me a Star" by Eric Carle and "Absolute Power" by David Baldacci, but it has not received a book challenge in three years, Cindee Reynolds, NCISD superintendent/community relations executive assistant, stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Montgomery ISD received one request from a parent to review instructional material, but the district has not banned any books, Babette Eikenberg, Montgomery ISD human resources executive director, stated in an e-mail to The Courier. Alton Verm's request to ban "Fahrenheit 451" came during the 25th annual Banned Books Week. He and Hines said the request to ban "Fahrenheit 451," a book about book burning, during Banned Books Weeks is a coincidence.

"Banned Books Week: Celebrating the Freedom to Read" is observed during the last week of September each year, according to the American Library Association Web site, www.ala.org. The week celebrates the freedom to choose or express one's opinion, even if it might be considered unorthodox or unpopular and stresses the importance of ensuring the availability of those unorthodox or unpopular viewpoints to all who wish to read them, according to the Web site.

Jerilynn Williams, Montgomery County Memorial Library System director, said Banned Books Week keeps the public aware that it is imperative to have access to information in a democratic society. Banning books causes libraries to limit access to information by withholding a person's right to explore a wide variety of opinions to form their own opinions, Williams said. "Not every book is appropriate for every person, but every person should have their work that they choose," Williams said. "The public library is for everyone."

The Montgomery County Memorial Library System has received 65 requests to challenge books since 2002, Williams said. The library has removed "Castro," for factual inaccuracies, and "Tomorrow Wendy," because it was not under the library's current guidelines, Williams said. The library also has a process for people to follow if they challenge a book, Williams said. However, Williams said a public library is different than a school library. "As a public library, we are the library for everyone," Williams said. "The school library is meant to be the library for that select group at that school."

To view a school district's policy on book selection or how to challenge a book, visit the individual district's Web site.

Kassia Micek can be reached at kmicek@hcnonline.com.


Don Quixote by Cervantes, Miguel de

It was banned in Madrid for the sentence "Works of charity negligently performed are of no worth."

I guess this offended someone in the church who was negligent. Banning a book for one sentence.. this person must have been outraged.


Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling

2007 The Gwinnett County (GA) school board rejected a parent's pleas to take Harry Potter books out of school libraries, based on the claim they promote witchcraft. The Georgia Board of Education ruled December 14,

2006, that the parent had failed to prove her contention that the series "promote[s} the Wicca religion and therefore that the book's availability in public schools does not constitute advocacy of a religion."

2004 A federal judge overturned restricted access to the Harry Potter book after parents of a Cedarvile (AR) fourthgrader filed a federal lawsuit challenging restricted access to the book. The book was originally challenged because it characterized authority as "stupid" and portrayed "good witches and good magic". Challenged, but retained in the New Haven (CN) schools despite claims the series "makes witchcraft and wizardry alluring to children".

2003 Proposed for removal by teacher's prayer group at Russell Springs (KY) high school for dealing with ghosts, cults, and witchcraft. Parents of a Cedarvile (AR) fourthgrader filed a federal lawsuit challenging restricted access to the book. Challenged in Moscow (Russia) by a Slavic cultural organization that alleged the stories about magic and wizards could draw students into Satanism.

2002 Challenged for encouraging lying, cheating, steling and witchcraft. Burned in NM as "a masterpiece of satanic deception".

2001 Challenged in Bend (OR), Cedar Rapids (IA), Salamanca (NY), Whittier (CA), Pace (FL), Arab, (AL), Fresno (CA), Bristol (NH), and Ontario (Canada) for dealing in witchcraft, the occult, promoting violence and being "scary". Restricted to students with parental permission in Santa Fe (TX) for promoting witchcraft. Banned in Queensland, Australia because the book was considered violent and dangerous.


In Cold Blood by Capote, Truman

Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complaines about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was aprt of an Advanced Placement English Class. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide by Robert P. Doyle.


Invisible Man by Ellison,Ralph

Excerpts banned in Butler, PA (1975); removed from the high school English reading list in St. Francis, WI (1975). Retained in the Yakima, WA schools (1994) after a five-month dispute over what advanced high school students should read in the classroom. Two parents raised concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the book and requested that it be removed from the reading list.


Lolita by Nabokov, Vladimir

"Unable to find an American firm willing to publish Lolita -- by 1954 four had refused -- Nabokov consented to the novel's being issued in Paris by Maurice Girodias' Olympia Press, publisher of Samuel Beckett, Jean Genet, and William S. Burroughs, as well as hastily concocted sex novels with titles like "White Thighs", "With Open Mouth", and "The Sexual Life of Robinson Crusoe".

Although Lolita's first printing of 5,000 copies sold out, there were no notable reviews, and the book would likely have gone unnoticed for some time had not respected author and critic Graham Greene, in an interview published in the London Times, called it one of the best books of the year. Greene's statement outraged John Gordon, editor of the popular Sunday Express, who responded in print, calling "Lolita" "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography." The British Home Office ordered customs officials to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom and pressured the French Minister of the Interior to ban the book. On December 20, 1956, the Paris police did just this, and Lolita remained banned in France for two years. "(by Jeff Edmunds - CNN)

From WikiPedia - Due to its subject matter, Nabokov was unable to find an American publisher for Lolita. After four refused, he finally resorted to the Olympia Press in Paris. Although the first printing of 5,000 copies sold out, there were no substantial reviews. Eventually, at the end of 1954, Graham Greene, in an interview with the (London) Times, called it one of the best novels of 1954. This statement provoked a response from the (London) Sunday Express whose editor called it "the filthiest book I have ever read" and "sheer unrestrained pornography." British Customs officers were then instructed by a panicked Home Office to seize all copies entering the United Kingdom. In December 1956 the French followed suit and the Minister of the Interior banned Lolita (the ban lasted for two years). Its eventual British publication by Weidenfeld & Nicolson caused a scandal which contributed to the end of the political career of one of the publishers, Nigel Nicolson. [1]

Novel Banned in Iran[citation needed] and Saudi Arabia for its content of pedophilia.

Banned as obscene in France (1956-1959), in England (1955-59), in Argentina (1959), and in New Zealand (1960). The South African Directorate of Publications announced on November 27, 1982, that Lolita has been taken off the banned list, eight years after a request for permission to market the novel in paperback has been refused.


Lord Jim by Conrad, Joseph

I found this book on the ALA's list of banned books, but can find no reference to the particular banning.


Of Mice and Men by Steinbeck, John

Published in 1937, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men has been frequently banned on social grounds. The book has been called "offensive" and "vulgar" because of the language and characterization.

2007 - Retained in the Greencastle-Antrim (PA) tenth-grade English classes. A complaint was filed because of "racial slurs" and profanity used throughout the novel. The book had been used in the high school for more than thirty years, and those who object to its content have the option of reading an alternative reading. (source: Marshall University Library)

2005 - Challenged in the Normal (IL) Community High Schools because the book contains "racial slurs, profanity, violence and does not represent traditional values". An alternative book, Steinbeck's The Pearl was offered but rejected by the family challenging the novel. The committee then recommended The House on Mango Street and The Way to Rainy Mountain as alternatives.

2004 - Challenged in the Normal (IL) Community High Schools because the book contains "racial slurs, profanity, violence and does not represent traditional values".

2003 - Challenged as required reading at Grandville (MI) high school for "racism, profanity and foul language". Banned in George County (MS) schools for profanity.

2002 - Banned for using offensive language, racism, violence, and being unisuited to age group 2001 Banned for using offensive language, racism, violence, and being unisuited to age group

Banned in Ireland (1953); Syracuse, Ind. (1974); Oil City, Pa. (I 977); Grand Blanc, Mich. (1979); Continental, Ohio (1980) and other communities.
Challenged in Greenville, S.C. (1977) by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux KIan;VernonVerona Sherill, N.Y School District (1980); St. David, Ariz. (1981) and Tell City, Ind. (1982) due to "profanity and using God's name in vain:"
Banned from classroom use at the Scottsboro, Ala. Skyline High School (1983) due to "profanity." The Knoxville, Tenn. School Board chairman vowed to have "filthy books" removed from Knoxville's public schools (1984) and picked Steinbeck's novel as the first target due to "its vulgar language:"
Reinstated at the Christian County, Ky. school libraries and English classes (1987) after being challenged as vulgar and offensive.
Challenged in the Marion County, WVa. schools (1988), at the Wheaton Warrenville, III. Middle School (1988), and at the Berrien Springs, Mich. High School (1988) because the book contains profanity.
Removed from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa, Ala. (1989) because the book "has profane use of God's name."
Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, Tenn. (1989) because "Steinbeck is known to have had an anti business attitude:" In addition, "he was very questionable as to his patriotism:'
Removed from all reading lists and collected at the White Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, Ark (1989) because of objections to language.
Challenged as appropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, Tenn. school system (1989) because the novel contained "offensive language."
Challenged, but retained in a Salinas, Kans. (1990) tenth grade English class despite concerns that it contained "profanity" and "takes the Lord's name in vain."
Challenged by a Fresno, Calif (1991) parent as a tenth grade English college preparatory curriculum assignment, citing "profanity" and "racial slurs." The book was retained, and the child of the objecting parent was provided with an alternative reading assignment.
Challenged in the Riveria, Tex. schools (1990) because it contains profanity.
Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold High School in Carroll Township, Pa. (1991) because the novel contains terminology offensive to blacks.
Removed and later returned to the Suwannee, Fla. High School library (1991) because the book is "indecent"
Challenged at the Jacksboro, Tenn. High School (1991) because the novel contains "blasphemous" language, excessive cursing, and sexual overtones.
Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County, Va. schools (1991) because of profanity. In 1992 a coalition of community members and clergy in Mobile, Ala., requested that local school officials form a special textbook screening committee to "weed out objectionable things:" Steinbeck's novel was the first target because it contained "profanity" and "morbid and depressing themes: '
Temporarily removed from the Hamilton, Ohio High School reading list (1992) after a parent complained about its vulgarity and racial slurs.
Challenged in the Waterloo, Iowa schools (1992) and the Duval County, Fla. public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.
Challenged at the Modesto, Calif. High School as recommended reading (1992) because of "offensive and racist language." The word "nigger" appears in the book.
Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in Alexandria, La. (1992) because of profanity.
Challenged as an appropriate English curriculum assignment at the Mingus, Ariz.Union High School (1993) because of "profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending."
Pulled from a classroom by Putnam County, Tenn. school superintendent (1994) "due to the language:' Later, after discussions with the school district counsel, it was reinstated.
The book was challenged in the Loganville, Ga. High School (1994) because of its "vulgar language throughout"
Challenged in the Galena, Kans. school library (1995) because of the book's language and social implications. Retained in the Bemidji, Minn. schools (1995) after challenges to the book's "objectionable" language.
Challenged at the Stephens County High School library in Toccoa, Ga. (I 995) because of "curse words: '
The book was retained. Challenged, but retained in a Warm Springs, VA. High School (1995) English class.
Banned from the Washington Junior High School curriculum in Peru, III. (1997) because it was deemed "age inappropriate:"
Challenged, but retained, in the Louisville, Ohio high school English classes (1997) because of profanity.
Removed, restored, restricted, and eventually retained at the Bay County schools in Panama City, Fla. (1997). A citizen group, the 100 Black United, Inc., requested the novel's removal and "any other inadmissible literary books that have racial slurs in them, such as the using of the word 'Nigger: "
Challenged as a reading list assignment for a ninth grade literature class, but retained at the Sauk Rapids Rice High School in St. Cloud, Minn. (1997). A parent complained that the book's use of racist language led to racist behavior and racial harassment.
Challenged in O'Hara Park Middle School classrooms in Oakley, Calif. (1998) because it contains racial epithets.
Challenged, but retained, in the Bryant, Ark. school library (1998) because of a parent's complaint that the book "takes God's name in vain 15 times and uses Jesus's name lightly."
Challenged at the Barron, Wis. School District (1998).
Challenged, but retained in the sophomore curriculum at West Middlesex, Pa. High School (1999) despite objections to the novel's profanity.
Challenged in the Tomah, Wis. School District (1999) because the novel is violent and contains obscenities.
Challenged as required reading at the high school in Grandville, Mich. (2002) because the book "is full of racism, profanity, and foul language."
Banned from the George County, Miss. schools (2002) because of profanity.
Challenged in the Normal, Ill. Community High Schools (2003) because the books contains "racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent traditional values." An alternative book, Steinbeck's The Pearl, was offered but rejected by the family challenging the novel.
Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide, by Robert P. Doyle.


Oliver Twist by Dickens, Charles

The book was largely protested because of anti-Semitic undertones in the character of Fagin, a career criminal, and Dickens repeatedly refers to him as "the Jew." (The anti-semitism in the book is obvious - the character of Fagin is NOT the jolly robber he's depicted to be in the plays - he is entirely despicable.)

And, once again, the movie versions were much more protested than the book versions... c'est la vie.


On the Road by Kerouac, Jack

It's a surprise to me, but I can find only one solid instance of this book being banned anywhere... A surprise given the general moral character described in the book - I found it offensive, and if teens were reading it, I would imagine many a stuck up parent would find it offensive too. But, here is the reference.

This book was banned in South Africa as discussed in the following essay at http://www.the-write-stuff.com.au/archives/vol-1/reviews/good-blonde.html

"ROAD GANG STILL LEADS THE PACK"

Reviewed by Giles Hugo

"WHEN I first encountered Jack Kerouac's writing I was working in a Johannesburg bookshop. Every week we were issued a copy of Jakobsen's List, detailing all the decisions of the South African Publications Control Board (PCB). If a book was banned, you had to return it to the publisher, embargoed books were taken off the shelves pending a decision by the PCB, and a title released from embargo could be put back on sale. Very rarely a book was unbanned.

That was back in 1968, and I didn't hang around in the job long enough to see the works of Jack Kerouac unbanned. But I did manage to acquire as much of the Duluouz saga as I could. As soon as one of his titles came in it was usually listed as embargoed, and I would put one aside for myself. 'On the Road' was already banned, so I had to wait until I got to London later that year to up on the classic that made his reputation. Instead I started with 'Desolation Angels', and I still think it is a fuller, more intriguing work than 'On the Road'. "


One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Cancer Ward

The Gulag Archipelago

Novels Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Author was sent into exile.

The novel (One Day in the Life) gained almost immediate popular success both inside and outside the Soviet Union (it was published at the behest of Nikita Khrushchev who wanted to foment anti-Stalinist feelings). But he found it impossible to publish anything in the Soviet Union. His writings were banned, and he was forced to publish in Samisdat (underground publication). He smuggled out his novels First Circle, Cancer Ward, and the Gulag Archipelago for publication abroad.

In spite of the controversies regarding Solzhenitsyn’s politics and controversial opinions, “One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich” has had almost continual positive critical acceptance in Western educational circles. Its dark themes of suffering and human perseverance in the face of evil have made it a popular text for high school and college English courses.


Portnoy's Complaint by Roth, Phillip

Several libraries and librarians throughout the U.S. were harassed and threatened for carrying this book on their shelves.

The Australian Government banned this book. "But the most controversial banned book in the early 1970's was Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint which, in June 1969, was classified as a prohibited import on the advice of the National Literature Board of Review. This prohibition was not lifted until June 1971. This left a response squarely in the hands of the stat governments as to whether they would launch prosecutions under state obscenity laws.

In New South Wales, the Australian publishers of Portnoy's Complaint wer taken to trial twice although, on both occassions, the jury could not agree on a verdict. (from The Politics of Sex: Prostitution and Pornography in Australia Since 1945)

I am surprised that this doesn't have more instances of banning attempts and successes. Considering that chapter 2 is about pretty much nothing but masterbation, one has to wonder if people were paying attention. (LOL)


Slaughterhouse Five by Vonnegut, Kurt

Challenged in many communities, but burned in Drake, N. Dak (1973).
Banned in Rochester, Mich. because the novel "contains and makes references to religious matters" and thus fell within the ban of the establishment clause. An appellate court upheld its usage in the school in Todd v Rochester Community Schools, 41 Mich. App. 320, 200 N. W 2d 90 (I 972). Banned in Levittown, N.Y (1975), North Jackson, Ohio (1979), and Lakeland, Fla. (1982) because of the "book's explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language."
Barred from purchase at the Washington Park High School in Racine, Wis. (I 984) by the district administrative assistant for instructional services.
Challenged at the Owensboro, Ky. High School library (1985) because of "foul language, a section depicting a picture of an act of bestiality, a reference to 'Magic Fingers' attached to the protagonist's bed to help him sleep, and the sentence: 'The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty."'
Restricted to students who have parental permission at the four Racine, Wis. Unified District high school libraries (1986) because of "language used in the book depictions of torture, ethnic slurs, and negative portrayals of women:'
Challenged at the LaRue County, Ky. High School library (1987) because "the book contains foul language and promotes deviant sexual behavior'
Banned from the Fitzgerald, Ga. schools (I 987) because A was filled with profanity and full of explicit sexual references:'
Challenged in the Baton Rouge, La. public high school libraries ( 1988) because the book is "vulgar and offensive:'
Challenged in the Monroe, Mich. public schools (I 989) as required reading in a modem novel course for high school juniors and senior because of the book's language and the way women are portrayed.
Retained on the Round Rock, Tex. Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.
Challenged as an eleventh grade summer reading option in Prince William County, Va ( 1998) because the book "was rife with profanity and explicit sex:"


Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Twain, Mark

It's really not surprising that this book would be banned many times from the time it was published to now. It's use of the N-word, and Huck Finn's approach to his various moral dillemma's (like whether to turn in a run away slave) could upset anyone's delicate sensibilities. Personally I think everyone should rest easy and take Mark Twain at his word when he said in the beginning of the book "

In Mark Twain's lifetime, his books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were excluded from the juvenile sections of the Brooklyn Public library (among other libraries), and banned from the library in Concord, MA, home of Henry Thoreau. In recent years, some high schools have dropped Huckleberry Finn from their reading lists, or have been sued by parents who want the book dropped. In Tempe, Arizona, a parent's lawsuit that attempted to get the local high school to remove the book from a required reading list went as far as a federal appeals court in 1998. (The court's decision in the case, which affirmed Tempe High's right to teach the book, has some interesting comments about education and racial tensions.) The Tempe suit, and other recent incidents, have often been concerned with the use of the word "nigger", a word that also got Uncle Tom's Cabin challenged in Waukegan, Illinois.

Published in 1884, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain has been banned on social grounds. Concord Public Library called the book "trash suitable only for the slums," when it first banned the novel in 1885. The references and treatment of African Americans in the novel reflect the time about which it was written, but some critics have thought such language inappropriate for study and reading in schools and libraries.

The word "nigger," which appears many times in the novel, was the cause for the removal of this classic from an eighth-grade reading list. In the 1950s, the NAACP objected to the book's perceived racist tone. In 1984, the book was removed from a public high school reading list in Waukegan, Illinois, because a black alderman found the book's language offensive.

2007 Pulled from classes in Taylor (MI) schools because of complaints about its liberal use of common racial slurs. Challenged as required reading at Cactus High in Peoria (AZ). The student and mother have threatened to file a civil-rights complaints because of alleged reacial treatment, the segration of the student, and the use of a racial slur in the classroom. Challenged in the Lakeville (MN) as required reading for sophomores. 2005 Challenged in the Normal (IL) Community High School sophomore literature class as being degrading to African Americans. Pulled from the reading lists of the three Renton (WA) high schools after an African American student said the book degraded her and her culture. The Novel was eventually retained for classroom usage. 2004 Challenged in the Normal (IL) Community High School sophomore literature class as being degrading to African Americans. Pulled from the reading lists of the three Renton (WA) high schools after an African American student said the book degraded her and her culture. 2003 Challenged in Portland (OR) schools by an African-American student who said he was offended by an ethnic slur used in the 1885 novel. 2001 Challenged, but retained, in Enid (OK) schools. Challenged in Kankakee (IL) school district because of offensive language.

And Finally... This article from the Star Gazzette... http://www.stargazettenews.com/newsextra/marktwain/021504_2.html

Feb. 15, 2004

Twain classics have often been banned

By Brooke J. Sherman

Star-Gazette

bsherman@stargazette.com

Timeless classic. Roaring adventure. Engaging satire. Banned book.
These phrases describe Mark Twain's novel "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," a book that has remained one of the country's most challenged books since its publication in 1885. According to the American Library Association, Twain's book about Huck and Jim was the seventh most-challenged book in 2002, but didn't make the top 10 in 2003. "The reasons people challenge 'Huck Finn' come most from parents protecting young people from something they think is bad," said Beverley Becker, associate director of the American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom.

"People want to protect their kids from this bad history that we have, and unfortunately you can't do that because it doesn't prepare them for the world outside. We can't change it, so it is important that we learn from it."

Some writers would have been furious over the controversy surrounding their books, not Twain. He celebrated the news as an economic windfall. He wrote this to his editor after the Committee of the Public Library of Concord, Mass., banned the tale: "They have expelled Huck from their library as 'trash and only suitable for the slums.' That will sell us 25,000 for sure."

The book has sold and sold well. Area teachers and librarians looked past the controversy surrounding Twain's work and kept the book on the shelves and in the classroom. Ed Cleary, a 10th-grade English teacher at Elmira's Southside High School, teaches "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to his sophomore honors students. He has taught for 30 years, and has taught portions of Twain for the last seven years, he said. While he approaches the book carefully, he said it is a valuable book in the classroom for illustrating changes in cultural acceptance and societal development of race relations.

The book was banned when it was first published, not for the controversy it stirs today over the use of the term "nigger," but for the the type of role model Twain created in Huck of smoking, swearing and other vulgarities including disrespect to elders, poor grammar and poor manners, Cleary said. "I first make (my students) understand that Twain is not a racist," Cleary said. To illustrate his point he directs his students to look at the relationship between Huck and Jim. He also explains that the use of the word "nigger" throughout the book was part of the era in which Twain was writing. "You have to get beyond the controversy and look at Mark Twain's message," he said. "The book is pretty insightful."

Jim Sleeth, director of Steele Memorial Library, said the controversy of Twain's book isn't likely to disappear. "I think Twain's book is controversial today because it talks about race relations and race relations continue to be one of the most important concerns of our time," Sleeth said. The lesson of "Huckleberry Finn" is still applicable in today's society, he added. "What it is with Huck is he is learning how to look into Jim's eyes and see a human being. That is how Huck grows and all of us have to grow as individuals. It is a struggle for everybody," he said.

In Mark Twain's lifetime, his books Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn were excluded from the juvenile sections of the Brooklyn Public library (among other libraries), and banned from the library in Concord, MA, home of Henry Thoreau. In recent years, some high schools have dropped Huckleberry Finn from their reading lists, or have been sued by parents who want the book dropped. In Tempe, Arizona, a parent's lawsuit that attempted to get the local high school to remove the book from a required reading list went as far as a federal appeals court in 1998. (The court's decision in the case, which affirmed Tempe High's right to teach the book, has some interesting comments about education and racial tensions.) The Tempe suit, and other recent incidents, have often been concerned with the use of the word "nigger", a word that also got Uncle Tom's Cabin challenged in Waukegan, Illinois.


The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Banned in the Soviet Union because of “occultism.”


The Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, J. D.

(from: Banned Books: Suppressed on Social Grounds by Dawn B. Sova. vol.2.) "The novel has long ignited disapproval, and it was the most frequently banned book in schools between 1966 and 1975. Even before that time, however, the work was a favorite target of sensors. In 1957, Australian Customs seized a shipment of the novels that had been presented as a gift to the government by the U.S. ambassador. The books were later released, but Customs had made its point that the book contained obscene language and actions that were not appropriate behavior for an adolescent. In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Oklahoma, was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh-grade English class. The teacher was [sic] appealed and was reinstated by the school board, but the book was removed from use in the school."

"The following year in Oklahoma City, the novel became the focus of a legislative hearing in which a locally organized censorship group sought to stop the Mid-Continent News Company, a book wholesaler, from carrying the novel. Members of the group parked a 'Smutmobile' outside the capital building during the hearing and displayed the novel with others. As a result of public pressure, the wholesaler dropped the critcized books from its inventory. In 1963 a delegation of parents of high school students in Columbus, Ohio, asked the school board to ban Catcher in the Rye, BRAVE NEW WORLD and TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD for being 'anti-white' and 'obscene'."

"After a decade of quiet, objections arose again in 1975 in Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, and the novel was removed from the suggested reading list for an elective course entitled 'Searching for Values and Identity Through Literature'. Based on parents' objections to the language and content of the book, the school board voted 5-4 to ban the book. The book was later reinstated in the curriculum when the board learned that the vote was illegal because they needed a two-thirds vote for removal of the text."

"In 1977 parents in Pittsgrove Township, New Jersey, challenged the assignment of the novel in an American literature class. They charged that the book included considerable profanity and 'filthy and profane' language that premoted premarital sex, homosexuality, and perversion, as well as claiming that it was 'explicitly pornographic' and 'immoral'. After months of controversy, the board ruled that the novel could be read in the advanced placement class for its universal message, not for its profanity, but they gave parents the right to decide whether or not their children would read it."

"In 1978 parents in Issaquah, Washington, became upset with the rebellious views expressed in the novel by Holden Caulfield and with the profanity he uses. The woman who led the parents' group asserted that she had counted 785 uses of profanity, and she alleged that the philosophy of the book marked it as part of a Communist plot that was gaining a foothold in the schools, 'in which a lot of people are used and may not even be aware of it.' The school board voted to ban the book, but the decision was later reversed when the three members who had voted against the book were recalled due to illegal deal-making. In 1979, the Middleville, Michigan, school district removed the novel from the required reading list after parents objected to the content."

"Objections in [sic] the novel have been numerous throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s. In 1980, the Jacksonville-Milton School libraries in North Jackson, Ohio, removed the book, as did two high school libraries in Anniston, Alabama. In 1982, school officials removed the book from all school libraries because it contained 'excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, and things concerning moral issues.' In 1983, parents in Libby, Montana, challenged the assignment of the book in the high school due to the 'book's contents.' Deemed 'unacceptable' and 'obscene', the novel was banned from use in English classes at Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, Florida, in 1985, and it was removed from the required reading list in 1986 in Medicine Bow, Wyoming, Senior High School because of sexual references and profanity. In 1987, parents and the local Knights of Columbus chapter in Napoleon, North Dakota, complained about profanity and sexual references in the book, which was banned from a required sophomore English reading list. Parents of students attending Linton-Stockton (Indiana) High School challenged the book in 1988 because it 'undermines morality', and profanity was the reason for which the book was banned from classrooms in the Boron, California, high school in 1989."

"The challenges to the novel have continued well into the 1990s. In 1991, the novel was challenged at Grayslake (Illinois) Community High School for profanity, and students in Jamaica High School in Sidell, Illinois, cited profanities and the depiction of premarital sex, alcohol abuse and prostitution as the basis for their 1992 challenge. Three other major challenges to the novel occurred in 1992. The novel was challenged and removed from the Waterloo, Iowa, public schools and the Duval County, Florida, public school libraries because of the 'lurid passages about sex' and profanity, while a parent in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, objected to the book because it was 'immoral' and contained profanity. In 1993, parents in the Corona-Norco (California) School District protested the use of the novel as a required reading, because it was 'centered around negative activity.' The school board voted to retain the novel but instructed teachers to select alternative readings if students objected to it. The novel was challenged but retained for use in select English classes at New Richmond (Wisconsin) High School in 1994, but it was removed as mandatory reading from the Goffstown, New Hampshire, schools the same year because parents charged that it contained 'vulgar words' and presented the main character's 'sexual exploits'."

Since its publication, this title has been a favorite target of censors.
In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, Okla. was fired for assigning the book to an eleventh grade English class.The teacher appealed and was reinstated by the school board, but the book was removed from use in the school.
In 1963, a delegation of parents of high school students in Columbus, Ohio, asked the school board to ban the novel for being "anti white" and "obscene." The school board refused the request.
Removed from the Selinsgrove, Pa. suggested reading list (1975). Based on parents' objections to the language and content of the book, the school board voted 5 4 to ban the book.The book was later reinstated in the curriculum when the board learned that the vote was illegal because they needed a two thirds vote for removal of the text.
Challenged as an assignment in an American literature class in Pittsgrove, NJ. (1977). After months of controversy, the board ruled that the novel could be read in the advanced placement class, but they gave parents the right to decide whether or not their children would read it.
Removed from the Issaquah,Wash. Optional High School reading list (1978).
Removed from the required reading list in Middleville, Mich. (1979).
Removed from the Jackson Milton school libraries in North Jackson, Ohio (1980).
Removed from two Anniston, Ala. high school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restrictive basis.
Removed from the school libraries in Morris, Manitoba (1982) along with two other books because they violate the committee's guidelines covering "excess vulgar language, sexual scenes, things concerning moral issues, excessive violence, and anything dealing with the occult:"
Challenged at the Libby, Mont. High School (1983) due to the "book's contents:"
Challenged, but retained for use in select English classes at New Richmond, Wis. (1994).
Banned from English classes at the Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, Fla. (1985) because it is "unacceptable" and "obscene."
Removed from the required reading list of a Medicine Bow, Wyo. Senior High School English class (1986) because of sexual references and profanity in the book.
Banned from a required sophomore English reading list at the Napoleon, N.Dak. High School (1987) after parents and the local Knights of Columbus chapter complained about its profanity and sexual references.
Challenged at the Linton Stockton, Ind. High School (1988) because the book is "blasphemous and undermines morality."
Banned from the classrooms in Boron, Calif High School (1989) because the book contains profanity.
Challenged at the GraysIaKe, III. Community High School (1991).
Challenged at the Jamaica High School in Sidell, III. (1992) because the book container profanities and depicted premarital sex, alcohol abuse, and prostitution.
Challenged in the Waterloo, Iowa schools (1992) and Duval County, Fla. public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled. '
Challenged at the Cumberland Valley Nigh School in Carlisle, Pa. (1992) because of a parent's objections that it contains profanity and is immoral.
Challenged, but retained, at the New Richmond, Wis. High School (1994) for use in some English classes.
Challenged as required reading in the Corona Norco, Calif. Unified School District (1993) because it is "centered around negative activity. "The book was retained and teachers selected alternatives if students object to Salinger's novel.
Challenged as mandatory reading in the Goffstown, N.H. schools (1994) because of the vulgar words used and the sexual exploits experienced in the book.
Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, Fla. (1995).
Challenged at the Oxford Hills High School in Paris, Maine (1996). A parent objected to the use of the 'F' word:'
Challenged, but retained, at the Glynn Academy High School in Brunswick, Ga. (1997). A student objected to the novel's profanity and sexual references. Removed because of profanity and sexual situations from the required reading curriculum of the Marysville, Calif Joint Unified School District (1997). The school superintendent removed it to get it "out of the way so that we didn't have that polarization over a book."
Challenged, but retained on the shelves of Limestone County, Ala. school district (2000) despite objections about the book's foul language.
Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, Ga. (2000). The controversy began in early 1999 when a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book that was part of an advanced placement English class.
Removed by a Dorchester District 2 school board member in Summerville, SC (2001) because it "is a filthy, filthy book."
Challenged by a Glynn County, Ga. (2001) school board member because of profanity. The novel was retained.
Source: "100 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature," By Nicholas Karolides.


The DaVinci Code by Brown, Dan

The BBC reported (Thursday, 16 September, 2004, 15:33 GMT 16:33 UK) that "Best-selling book The Da Vinci Code has been banned in Lebanon after complaints it was offensive to Christianity. Catholic leaders called for the book to be withdrawn because of its depiction of Christ marrying Mary Magdalene and fathering a child. Shop owners said security officials had told them to pull French, English and Arabic copies off their shelves."

Father Abdou Abu Kasm, president of Lebanon's Catholic Information Centre, said the contents of the book were "insulting". " There are paragraphs that touch the very roots of the Christian religion... they say Jesus Christ had a sexual relationship with Mary Magdalene, that they had children," he said. "Those things are difficult for us to accept, even if it's supposed to be fiction.

"Christianity is not about forgiveness to the point of insulting Jesus Christ." [My, now that is an intersting interpretation.]

Later, "Mumbai, September 17: THE book has already been banned in Lebanon. Now, the Indian Catholics’ Secular Forum (CSF) has issued a memorandum to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, seeking a ban on Dan Brown’s controversial thriller The Da Vinci Code in India as well. "

What is most interesting is that there was much more protest about the movie than about the book. Apparently, people just don't read much. In India even the Muslim's wanted the movie banned because it insulted Jesus - who is one of the prophets, according to the Koran.

2007 Banned in Egypt. The culture minister told parliment, "We ban any book that insults any relgion. We will confiscate this book." Parliment was debating the book at request of several Coptic Christian members who demanded a ban because "It's based on Zionist myth, and it insults the Chrstian religion and Islam." It was also banned in Iran. (source: Marshall University Library)


The Awakening by Chopin, Kate

Parents of the Blue ValleySchool District in Kansas are currentlypetitioning for this and thirteen other books to be removed from allhighschool classrooms in the district due to "vulgar language, sexualexplicitness,or violent imagery that is gratuitously employed."

This novel is about a woman in the late 1800s who rejects the traditional roles of wife and mother and explores her new found“freedom,” both emotionally and sexually. It was Chopin’s second and final novel, published in 1899. The book was widely criticized for its frank, open discussion of the emotional and sexual "needs" of women,which culminate in a romanticized suicide. For example, consider the reviewofChopin's work from Lewis Leary, of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He begins his review by quoting another "professional" editor, "As Kenneth Eble, first modern editor of The Awakening, has said, "quite frankly the book is about sex."

Leary goes on to write... "The Awakening...one of Mrs. Chopin'smore successful examinations...whether marriage is or is not "a wonderful and powerful agent in the development and formation of a woman's character."

"...the submission of women andtheir struggle against submittingis a theme which pervades much, perhaps all, of Mrs. Chopin's fiction."

"For whatever its excellences otherwise, The Awakening is bold,and its title tells exactly what it is about."

"Edna Pontellier was ...a self-indulgent sensualist..."

"Her awakening, only vaguely intellectual, is disturbingly physical."

"The voice of the sea is seductive...the sea whispers the strong and "delicious" word death."



From: http://www.stmoroky.com/reviews/books/awaken.htm

Chopin's membership in the St. Louis Fine Arts Club was revoked,and The Awakening went out of print for more than half a century. Why? Was the subject matter of the book any more "shocking" than that of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina or Flaubert's Madame Bovary? No; it seems that Chopin's chief sin appeared to be that she showed too much sympathy toward EdnaPontellier;besides and because of the fact that it was a woman behaving thus, it left a sour taste of cui bono in the mouths of more than one appalled critic. Anna Karenina and Madame Bovary erred, but they met their untimely ends in the appropriate way - with the realization that they screwed things up. Edna Pontellier made it painfully clear that she was turning to suicide not out of guilt for her sins against society, but as a means of escape. The critics found this attitude "unhealthy" and the woman's conduct "degrading to the human condition."


TheGreat Gatsby byFitzgerald,F. Scott

Well, the ALA shows this as abanned book, but I cannot find a particular instance of this occurring. The ALA should really cite references if they are going to complain about books being banned.


The Handmaid's Tale by Atwood, Margaret

Appears on the list of booksbanned by Opus Dei.


The Island by Benchley, Peter

Appears on the list of bannedbooks for members of Opus Dei -along with his other books The Deep and Jaws


Lord of the Flies Golding, William

In 1981, the book waschallenged by a high school in Owen, NC,because it was "demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is littlemorethan an animal."

Challenged at the Dallas, TX. Independent School District highschool libraries (1974);
challenged at the Sully Buttes, S. Dak. HighSchool (1981);
challenged at the Owen, N.C. High School (1981) because the book is "demoralizing in as much as it implies that man is little more than ananimal";
challenged at the Marana, Ariz. High School (1983) as an inappropriate reading assignment.
Challenged at the Olney, Tex. IndependentSchool District (1984) because of "excessive violence and bad language."
Acommittee of the Toronto, Canada Board of Education ruled on June 23,1988,that the novel is "racist and recommended that it be removed from allschools. "Parents and members of the black community complained about a reference to"niggers" in the book and said it denigrates blacks.
Challenged in theWaterloo, Iowa schools (1992) because of profanity, lurid passagesabout sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.
Challenged, but retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English readinglist in Bloomfield, N.Y. (2000).

From Newsletter on IntellectualFreedom: an. 1975, p. 6; July,1981, p. 103; Jan. 1982, p. 17; Jan, 1984, p. 25-26; July 1984, p. 122;Sept.1988, p. 152; July 1992, p. 126; Mar. 2000, p. 64.


The The Lord of the Rings by Tolkien, J.R.R.

Burned in Alamagordo, N. Mex.(2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic. Source: News letter on Intellectual Freedom, Mar. 2002, p. 61.

Tolkien was banned in the Soviet Union, but that did not stop Russian translations of his works from circulating the illicit underground Russian press known as samizdat. The result of Tolkien's years of exile in samizdat, and the collapse of the state-controlled publishing industry when the Soviet Union disintegrated is that there is not just one published Russian translation of The Lord of the Rings as is common in other countries. There are nine contemporary published translations competing with each other for the reader's attention. Each translator has a slightly different approach to thetext. Each translation has a slightly different interpretation of Tolkien. Each translator has a different story to tell.


The Maltese Falcon by Hammett, Dashiell

Hammett served "...as an Army sergeant in World War II. Althougha fierce opponent of Nazism, he joined the American Communist Party in the 1930s. Although he did not accompany Hemingway and other writers to Spain in 1936 to participate in the Civil War, he did assist returning veterans. By 1934 after publishing The Thin Man, his writing career nearly ended. During these years, he began a tumultuous relationship with playwright Lillian Hellman (The Children's Hour, 1934 Little Foxes, 1939). Hellman was a devoted leftist and the couple concerned themselves with radical causes. The political pendulum took a conservative swing after WWII, and Hammett was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1951. When he refused to testify, inspite of his faithful military service and failing health, he was sentenced to prison for several months. His excellent detective novels were banned by the State Department. Hellman, also ordered to testify, assailed the HUAAC and was blacklisted. Hammett never wrote another novel, although he created a comicstrip entitled Secret Agent X-9, an endeavor that proved fruitless."(from:Patti Jo King, a Historian and Journalist, 11/30/2005)


The Stand by King, Stephen

Restricted at the WhitfordIntermediate School in Beaverton,Oreg. (1989) because of "sexual language, casual sex, and violence."


The Sun Also Rises by Hemingway, Ernest

Banned in Boston, MA (1930),Ireland (1953), Riverside, CA (1960).Burned in Nazi bonfires (1933).

1929–62: Novels by Ernest Hemingway were banned in various parts of the world such as Italy, Ireland, and Germany (where they were burnedby the Nazis).
In California in 1960, The Sun Also Rises was banned from schools in San Jose and all of Hemingway’s works were removed from Riverside school libraries.
In 1962, a group called Texans for America opposed textbooks that referred students to books by the Nobel Prize-winning author.


ToKill a Mockingbird by Lee,Harper

It's easy to see how this bookwould be hit again and again with challenges and bans - It's frank discussion of racism and the racial slurs used(as they were used in real life) is difficult to take. I can see how it would be upsetting to some; but the value of the book is in the discomfort it causes; by discomfitting the reader it makes them think and talk and share and learn. And after all, what is the point of a book but to entertain or to teach.

Be sure to check out the notesabout this book under The Catcher in the Rye as well. It was banned in some areas as being "anti-white" - as if the white race needed defending.

Challenged in Eden Valley,Minn. (1977) and temporarily banned due to words "damn" and "whore lady" used in the novel.
Challenged in the Vernon Verona Sherill, N.Y School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy novel:"
Challenged at the Warren, Ind.Township schools (1981) because the book does "psychological damage to the positive integration process " and "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of good literature:" After unsuccessfully banning Lee's novel, three black parents resigned from the township human relations advisory council.
Challenged in the Waukegan, III.School District (1984) because the novel uses the word "nigger."
Challengedin the Kansas City, Mo. junior high schools (1985).
Challenged at the ParkHill, Mo. Junior High School (1985) because the novel "contains profanity and racial slurs:" Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande, Ariz. Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People who charged the book was unfit for junior high use.
Challenged at the Santa Cruz, Calif. Schools (1995) because of its racial themes.
Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, La. (1995) because the book's language and content were objectionable.
Challenged at the Moss Point, Miss. School District (1996) because the novel contains a racial epithet.
Banned from the Lindale,Tex. advanced placement English reading list(1996)because the book "conflicted with the values of the community."
Challengedby a Glynn County, Ga. (2001) school board member because of profanity.The novel was retained. Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, Okla.High School (2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents about racial slurs in the text.
Challenged in the Normal, ILLCommunity High Schools sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to African Americans.
Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham, N.C.(2004) because the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel uses the word "nigger." Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide.


Tropic of Cancer by Miller, Henry

From ( http://osgoode.yorku.ca/media2.nsf/83303ffe5af03ed585256ae6005379c9/fd41e3933ac3318285256e3d0050fc19!OpenDocument) "Once scandalous, an insult fades Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer celebrates its 70th anniversary this year, REBECCA CALDWELL writes, and time has not been kind By REBECCA CALDWELL Saturday, Feb. 14, 2004 Seventy years ago, Americanauthor Henry Miller released the novel that would become one of the most notorious of the 20th century. Tropic of Cancer, his thinly veiled account of his first year in Paris as a struggling artist, was not a book, he warned: "It is libel, slander, defamation of character. This is not a book in the ordinary sense of the word. No, this is a prolonged insult, a gob of spit in theface of Art, a kick in the pants to God, Man, Destiny, Time, Love, Beauty . . .whatyou will."

Miller probably knew this book was going to be censored from the minute he put down the pen. It's exactly as he himself describes it. Sex is prominent and casual. Women are cunts, and whores. Whores are easily and frequently had. Some of the characters are terrible people, and some are brilliant. Sickness abounds (the clap and a dose) and no respect is given any institution. Yes.. there was no doubt that this would be banned.

Appears on the Opus Dei list ofbanned books

From ( http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Tropic-of-Cancer-and-Tropic-of-Capricorn/Henry-Miller/e/9780802138439) "Initially banned in America as obscene, Tropic of Cancer was first publishedin Paris in 1934. Only a historic court ruling that changed American censorship standards permitted its publication. Tropic of Cancer is now considered, as Norman Mailer said, "one of the ten or twenty great novels of ourcentury."Also banned in America for almost thirty years, Tropic of Capricorn is now considered a cornerstone of modern literature. Together, Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn are a lasting testament to one of the greatest American writers of the twentieth century and his contribution not only to literature but to the cause of free speech.

From ( http://www.thefileroom.org/documents/dyn/DisplayCase.cfm/id/1275)

Artist: Henry Miller (1891 -1980): US novelist

Confronting Bodies: USgovernment and British government

Date of Action: 1934 - 1964

Specific Location: USA

Description of Artwork: March 9- In 1938, the U.S. Government banned Henry Millers novel Tropic of Cancer, saying it dealt too explicitly with his sexual adventures and challenged models of sexual morality. To further drive the point home, the government went on to ban all of Millers works from entering the United States. In 1961, the ban was lifted, but his work continuedto be labeled obscene by the Citizens for Decent Literature. "Tropic of Cancer" (1934) along with the follow-up "Tropic of Capricorn" (1939)are the most controversial of Henry Miller's works due to their sexuallye xplicit content. The books are an autobiographical account of a poor expatriate living in France during the early 1930s. With no real narrative plot, the novels follow the everyday life of the narrator. What make both works so controversial are the numerous sexual encounters that are depicted with shocking and unprecedented detail and frankness.

Description of Incident: In 1938, the U.S. Government banned Henry Millers novel Tropic of Cancer, saying it dealt too explicitly with his sexual adventures and challenged models of sexual morality. To further drive the point home, the government went on to ban all of Millers works from entering the United States.

Results of Incident: In 1961 the US ban on Henry Miller's novels was finally lifted, but the controversy surrounding his books (inparticular "Tropic of Cancer") continued. "Tropic of Cancer" was still labeled as "obscene" by the US government and nationwide there were attempts to stop thesale of Miller's novel. In the fall of 1961, police officials in the Chicago area systematically intimidated bookstores who sold the "Tropic of Cancer", making several arrests. The book's publisher, Grove Press, along with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit arguing it isillegal for officials to interfere with the sale of the novel. During the first year of publication Grove Press spent more than $100,000 fighting 60 cases nation wide.It was not until 1964 that the US Supreme Court finally declared "Tropic of Cancer" not to be obscene and its sale protected by the US constitution. Source: Censorship: A World Encyclopedia. Ed. Derek Jones. Chicago;London:Fitzroy Dearborn, 2001.


Ulysses by Joyce, James

Challenged and temporarily banned in the US for its sexual content. Ban overturned in United States v. One Book Called Ulysses.

Published in 1918, James Joyce's Ulysses was banned on sexual grounds. Leopold Bloom sees a woman on the seashore, and his actions during that event have been considered controversial. Also, Bloom thinks about his wife's affair, as he walks through Dublin, Ireland on a famous day (we now know it as Bloomsday). In 1922, 500 copies of the book were burned by the United States Department of the Post Office.

Burned in the U.S. (1918),Ireland (1922), Canada (1922), England (1923)and banned in England (1929). Source: 3, p. 66; 5, pp. 328-30; 10, Vol.III,pp. 411-12; 557-58, 645.


One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest byKesey, Ken

Challenged in the Greenley, Colorado public school district (1971) as anon-required American Culture reading. In 1974, five residents of Strongsville, Ohio, sued the board of education to remove the novel. Labeling it "pornographic," they charged the novel "glofiries criminal activity, has atendency to corrupt juveniles and contains descriptions of bestiality, bizarre violence, and torture, dismemberment, death, and human elimination." Removedfrom public school libraries in Randolph, NY, and Alton, OK (1975). Removedfrom the required reading list in Westport, MA (1977). Banned from the St. Anthony, Idaho Freemont High School classrooms (1978) and the instructor fired¾Fogarty v. Atchley. Challenged at the Merrimack, N.H. High School(1982). Challenged as part of the curriculum in an Aberdeen, Washington High School honors English class (1986) because the book promotes "secularhumanism." The school board voted to retain the title. Challenged at the Placentia-Yorba Linda, California Unified School District (2000) after complaints by parents stated that teachers "can choose the best books, but they keep choosing this garbage over and over again." Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide, by Robert P. Doyle.


The Jungle by Sinclair, Upton

Banned from public libraries in Yugoslavia (1929). Burned in the Nazi bon fires because of Sinclair's socialist views (1933). Banned in East Germany(1956) as inimical to communism. Banned in South Korea (1985). Sources: Banned Books, 387 B.C. to 1978 A.D., 4th edition; Anne Lyon Haight and Chandler B.Grannis. Index on Censorship.


Sons and Lovers by Lawrence, D.H.

In 1961 an Oklahoma City groupcalled Mothers United for Decency hireda trailer, dubbed it "smutmobile," and displayed books deemed objectionable, including Lawrence's novel. Source: 2004 Banned Books Resource Guide byRobertP. Doyle.


Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut, Kurt

The Strongsville, Ohio SchoolBoard (1972) voted to withdraw this titlefrom the school library; this action was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District, 541 F. 2d 577(6thCir. 1976). Challenged at Merrimack, NH High School (1982).


The Ginger Man by Donleavy, J.P.

This book was banned in both the Republic of Ireland and the United States on the grounds of it being pornographic and blasphemous.

Another of his books - The Singular Man - made it onto the list of books banned by Opus Dei.


Beloved by Morrison, Toni

Beloved, The Bluest Eye, and Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison Parents of the Blue Valley School District in Kansas are currently petitioning for Beloved, Song of Solomon and twelve other books to be removed from all highschool classrooms in the district due to "vulgar language, sexual explicitness, or violent imagery that is gratuitously employed." Their objections to the book Beloved are quoted below:

Beloved -- written at a 6th grade reading level

Morrison, Toni AP Communication ArtsIV

Beloved contains incest, rape, pedophilia, graphic sex, extreme violence, sexual abuse, physical/emotional abuse,infanticide, and an extensive amount of profanity. The first two chapters contain five references to sex with cows in addition to other types of sex.

The story randomly jumps between timeframes, characters, and levels of reality. The general timeframe is the 1870s. Beloved is the baby daughter of a slave, Sethe, who kills Beloved with a handsaw to help Beloved avoid the horrors of growing up in a white world. Beloved comes back as a teenage ghost and lives with Sethe, with her half-sister Denver, and with her mother's live-in lover Paul D. (Paul D is also Sethe's brother-in-law and hence Beloved's uncle). Beloved, the ghost, gets pregnant by Paul D and Paul D leaves the family. Beloved eventually turns on Sethe, taunting and torturing her. Denver turns to black neighbors for help who eventually rescue Sethe from Beloved. Beloved magically disappears.

Further information about Beloved canbe found atParents Against Bad Books in Schools, www.pabbis.com.

Morrison’s other books include Song of Solomon and The Bluest Eye. Song of Solomon is also used as required reading assignments in the Blue Valley school system and the The Bluest Eye is encouraged.

Blue Valley states that this book is "essential" reading to prepare for college. This is not true! NO college that we contacted (including 15 of the most commonly-attended colleges in the area) were willing to support this statement, EVEN in the case where the in-coming freshman student declared "English" as their major.

Language includes nigger, fuck, fucking, fucking cows, fucking calves.

Wow.. these folk have a HUGE webpage dedicated to this book including excerpts of all the instances of Sex, Beastiality, Incest, Pedophilia,Torture... and just plain stuff they don't like to talk about in polite company(but which is all probably historically accurate) that it is well worth a visit to their webpage... as long as it lasts:http://www.abffe.com/bbw-classkc-beloved.htm


UncleTom's Cabin by Stowe, Harriet Beecher

As a broadside against slavery,it is no surprise that this book would be banned in several places. It was banned as abolitionist propagandain the South, and a number of pro-slavery writers responded with so-called“Anti-Tom literature.” These novels portrayed slavery from the southern point of view, in an attempt to show that Stowe exaggerated her depiction of slavery’s evils. The novel was declared‘utterlyfalse’ by Southern novelist William Gilmore; others referred to it as criminal and slanderous. A bookseller in Mobile, Alabama was driven from town for selling the novel and Stowe received threatening letters, including a package containing a slave’s severed ear.

Later, some readers criticized her for appearing to be condescending and racist toward blacks. These critics blamed her book for perpetuating stereotypes such as the “happy darky,” the tragic mulatto as a sex object, the affectionate mammy, and pickanniny black children. People even began to label African-Americans who are too eager to please white people as“Uncle Toms.”

The book was banned in Russia because it questioned authority (though it was one of Lennin's favorites). The vatican considered placing it on the listof banned books, and one can see why with characters saying that the Bible can be used to justify anything. (Odd how that lesson keeps coming up again and again in history, but we never seem to learn it.)

Uncle Tom’s Cabin has faced recent bans and challenges in Illinois schools and Southern States, and has been challenged by the NAACP for its alleged racist portrayal of African Americans and the use of the“N”word. Many people find the work offensive.

Published in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was controversial. When President Lincoln saw Stowe, he purportedly said,"So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war." The novel has been been banned for language concerns.

Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe Novel Banned in the Southern States and Tzarist Russia. Challenged by the NAACP for allegedly racist portrayal of African Americans and the use of the word "Nigger".[14]


Cry, The BelovedCountry by Paton, Alan

It enjoyed critical success around the world, except in South Africa,where it was banned, due to its politically contentious material. Th ebook is about the troubles between black and white just before the implementation of the Aparthied Laws. The book sold over 15 million copies around the world before Paton's death.


The Bell Jar byPlath, Sylvia

"In Zykan v. Warsa (Indiana) Community School Corporation and Warsaw School Board of Trustees (1980), the court addressed the school board's removal of several books from a high school library, including.... The Bell Jar...

In Zykan the court once more refused to acknoledge a student's right to recieve information, and the shocking court record in Zykan revealed that the school board turned the offending books over to complaining citizens whohad them publicly burned.The court condemned this ceremony as"contemptible"...."

- From Banned In The U.S.A. by Foerstel, Herbert N.