Call of the Wild
by Jack London
Jack
London's Call of the Wild featured violent descriptions of survival in
the Yukon. The governments of Italy and the former Yugoslavia both banned this
book in 1929. Nazi Germany burned all of London's writings in 1932. Heavily
edited versions of this work appear in print and film as simple adventure
stories.
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I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
This autobiographical work about growing up in the segregated south has been challenged on numerous occasions. Reasons cited include a graphic rape scene, premarital sex, teen pregnancy, and because it "preaches bitterness and hatred against whites."
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Harry
Potter Series
by J.K. Rowling
Topping the list of the 100 most frequently challenged books of the 21st century, Harry Potter has been under the gun since the first book of the series was published in 1998. Reasons such as the promotion of witchcraft, anti-family bias, and the lack of consequences for disobedient behavior have kept this title on the radar. The basis of a lawsuit in the Cedarville, Arkansas schools in 2002, Harry Potter books were temporarily removed from the school library shelves and students were required to have parental permission to check them out. This ruling was declared unconstitutional and the books were returned to open shelves.
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Ordinary People
by Judith Guest
Removed from Buffalo, New York high school curriculum in 1996, based on the
objections of two parents who cited inappropriate language and content. Also
removed from the Fostoria, Ohio High School library in 1998 after a minister
objected to its obscene language and sexual innuendo.
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Anne
Frank's diary has been criticized for passages Anne wrote describing her
changing body, which are considered to be "sexually offensive";
passages considered to be offensive to Germans; for its religious content; and
for criticisms of family members and other people. Its content on the
mistreatment of Jews was deemed to be "a real downer" by some members
of the Alabama Textbook Commission in 1983. Furthermore, the work has been
considered "pornographic" for Anne's comments about her friend's
breasts.
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Lord of the Rings Trilogy
by J.R.R. Tolkien
Deemed to be "satanic" Tolkien's works, along with those of J.K. Rowling,
Stephen King and a Ouija board were burned in a bonfire on December 30, 2001 at
Christ Community Church in Alamogordo, New Mexico.
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American Heritage Dictionary
Slang terms, and other "objectionable words" have made this work a
consistent target of censors across the country. It has been removed from school
libraries in Alaska, Nevada, Missouri, California and Indiana. It does not stand
alone in challenges of dictionaries. The Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary
was removed from a school in Menifee, California for including an entry for
"oral sex"
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Terkel interviewed over 120 people about their jobs for this book. Workers responses to his questions were often quite graphic, prompting challenges to "obscene language." Other reasons for challenging the book were that it was "too depressing" and "too negative."
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The
House
of the Spirits
by Isabel Allende
Objections to The House of the Spirits center on its sexually explicit and violent passages. Set in an unnamed South American country Allende's book describes a brutal military dictatorship. Following a challenge in Fairfield, California in 2000, which resulted in the temporary removal of the book from the high school's reading list, the school board called for the establishment of a ratings system for books, similar to movie ratings, so that parents would be better informed as to the content of materials on the school's reading lists. In 2014 the book was challenged, but retained in Watauga, North Carolina.
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Daddy's
Roommate
by Michael Willhoite
Topping the list of most frequently challenged books in 1993, and consistently on the list of Most Frequently Challenged books since it was published in 1990, Daddy's Roommate tells the story of a young boy visiting his gay father and his father's partner for a weekend. Daddy's Roommate has been challenged in such places as public libraries in Ada, Idaho; Witchita Falls, Texas; and Rutland, Vermont; in public schools in Juneau, Alaska; and at the Multnomah County (Oregon) Playschool Cooperative. In all cases the book was retained. However, in the Multnomah Playschool Cooperative it was kept only as a parental resource.
A homosexual theme is one of the most frequently cited reasons for challenging a book according to the American Library Association's Office of Intellectual Freedom
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The
Origin
of Species
by Charles Darwin
Emotions surrounding the teaching of evolution based on Darwin's classic work run as high today as they did in 1925 during the famous "Monkey Trial" in Tennessee. A case in Dover, Pennsylvania in which authorities were sued for advocating the teaching of intelligent design; and another in Atlanta, Georgia, involving labeling textbooks which teach evolutionary theory, have brought the evolution vs. creationism debate to the forefront in recent years.
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The Bible's long history of censorship dates back to the fourteenth century when the Catholic church opposed translating it into languages other than Hebrew, Greek or Latin for fear it would be misinterpreted. "Heretics" such as William Tyndale and John Rogers were burned to death for writing translations. During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries versions of the Bible for children and families began to appear with certain passages removed, especially those with references to sex. One of these was created by the aptly named Sarah Kirby Trimmer in 1782. Contemporary challenges to the Bible still cite its "obscene and pornographic" passages. Others challenge its racism and sexism.
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So Far from the Bamboo Grove
by Yoko Kawashima Watkins
This book was challenged as part of the sixth-grade curriculum in the Dover-Sherborn (Massachusetts) Regional School District in 2006. A fictionalized account of the author's life as a young Japanese girl fleeing Korea at the end of World War II, parents cited the war atrocities as inappropriate for sixth-graders.
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The Things they Carried
by Tim O'Brien
This
fictional collection of essays about soldiers in the Vietnam War has been called
"anti-American," "offensive," and "disturbing". This book was challenged in
Arlington Heights, Illinois in 2006, along with eight other titles
(Beloved,
by Toni Morrison;
Freakanomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen
J. Dubner; the contemporary classic,
Slaughterhouse Five
by Kurt Vonnegut;
The Botany
of Desire: A Plant's Eye
View of the World by Michael Pollan;
The Awakening,
by Kate Chopin; The
Perks
of Being a Wallflower
by Stephen Chbosky;
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by
Julia Alvarez, and
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean
Myers) when a school board member, elected based on promises to bring her
Christian beliefs to the board, objected to the titles based on excerpts of the
books she read on the internet. The books were retained after a board meeting
which over 500 people attended, most of those who spoke were in favor of keeping
the books.
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Coming in at number 59 on the list of most frequently challenged books 2000-2009, for "sexually explicit" and "obscene" language. Read the eye-opening Davenport (Iowa) Public Library Kids Blog for more information about what makes this title objectionable.
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Fahrenheit 451
by Ray Bradbury
Perhaps the most ironic title here, this book about book burning has been one of the most frequently challenged books since it was first published in 1953. Middle school students in Irvine California were provided copies of the book with some words, mostly "hells" and damns," blackened out.
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How to Eat Fried Worms
by Thomas Rockwell
Challenges to this children's book about two boys who make a bet that one of them cannot eat 15 worms in 15 days usually come from parents who object to the word "bastard." Other complaints include the fact that the father in the story drinks beer, and that the book encourages peer-pressure.
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In Weslaco, Texas this book was removed to a restricted section after patrons petitioned city officials to monitor library purchases. Although she complied with the wishes of the petitioners, and the officials, the library director was was subsequently dismissed from her position.
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A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
This dystopian novel was removed from high schools in Aurora, Colorado; and Westport, Massachusetts in the 1970s; and Anniston, Alaska in in 1982 due to "objectionable language." Stanley Kubrick's film based on the book was barred from British theatres, by Kubrick himself, when reports of "copycat" crimes surfaced.
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Forster wrote Maurice in 1913, but it was not published until 1972. During the late 19th century Wilde was sentenced to two-years hard labor for homosexuality which the judge deemed to be worse than even rape or murder. This atmosphere prevented Forster from having this, and his collection of short stories, Life to Come And Other Stories from being published until after his death.
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The Drowning of Stephan Jones
by Bette Greene
This novel about the murder of a gay man in small-town Arkansas has been banned or challenged in at least four states. In addition to the book's homosexual theme, reasons given for challenging this work include that it "teaches anti-Christian beliefs," and contains "unacceptable language."
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The Golden Compass
by Philip Pullman
Frequently challenged because of its "anti-religious" views this book has been removed from some schools and libraries in Canada. The book was also challenged in Winchester, Kentucky because one of the characters drinks wine, and ingests poppy.
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And Tango Makes Three
by Justin Richardson and Peter Parneff
This book topped the list of challenged materials in 2006 and 2007, 2008, and 2010. Written for children ages 4-8, it is based on the true story of two male penguins who raise a baby at New York's Central Park zoo. This book causes more controversy than some other books with homosexual themes written for young children because often parents feel mislead by the cover, which depicts two adults and one baby penguin and are unaware of the that the two adults are both male, until after they check out the book. It has been removed from some libraries, but compromises to complete withdrawal of the book include placing it in a restricted section; requiring parental permission to check out; and removal from the picture book section and relocation to the non-fiction section in order to make it less likely that children will find the book.
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Twilight Series
by Stephanie Meyer
Listed among the top ten challenged books for 2010, this title has been banned or challenged in the United States and in Australia, where students in some schools have been asked not to bring their own copies of this wildly popular series about a teenage vampire and his mortal girlfriend. Reasons cited for challenging this series include its religious viewpoint, violence, and sexual content. In August of 2014 a group of pastors in Cleveland, Texas requested that the "Twilight" books, and others that deal with the occult, be removed from the public library.
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The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie
The third most challenged book of 2013, recent challengers include
a grandmother in Meridian, Idaho who objected to language and scenes that described masturbation. She felt it was only appropriate for people aged "75 [and] up". In a strange twist on the usual censorship stories shortly after this story broke, teen Brady Kissel arranged to give away copies of the book as part of the World Book Night program. A concerned parent called the police to report that children were taking the free books without their parents permission! I have to hand it to the police, who did absolutely nothing about the report.Return to Banned Books Week page
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Recently made into a movie, this movie ranked number eleven on the ALA's most challenged list for the 1990s for reasons including violent content and suicide.
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Looking for Alaska
by John Green
Green
is the new Blume!
Like YA writer Judy Blume,
John Green can almost count on a challenge for any book he writes. This
story about students at a southern boarding school comes in at number seven
among the top ten banned books for 2013. Sex and drugs are among the reasons
given for challenging this work.
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Questions or Comments about this page should be sent to Pamela Hayes-Bohanan phayesboh@bridgew.edu
Page updated on August 25, 2014
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