The American Library Association keeps track of all public challenges or calls to ban books. Last year, I divided these challenges into geographical areas – countries, regions or states to try to understand where these challenges originate and what offends these challengers to the point that they want to censor what people can read.

Most challenges are about reading materials in school libraries and books assigned in English classes. Many question children’s ability to understand complex situations or questions about sexuality. When are children ready to read about sex? Does reading about sex and/or sexual orientation really cause children to have sex prematurely or question their own sexuality based solely on a character in a book? Can a rebellious character really make children become rule breakers?

In the news this week, an Evangelical leader blamed mass shootings on the teaching of evolution in schools. On the Origin of Species was published on 24 November 1859. This work of scientific literature by Charles Darwin is considered to be the foundation of evolutionary biology. His book created a shockwave of 'Darwinism' and the remnants of that are still left in today's society. It was considered blasphemous and banned in the 19th and 20th centuries for completely contradicting Christian religion. Some parents in the U.S. still oppose teaching the theory of evolution in schools.

Just how powerful is the written word?

Purported experts on both sides like to weigh in.

This year I’m selected books from a list of 100 of the most challenged or banned books and arranged them by their alleged offenses. Most books are listed in multiple categories and you’ll see many different categories. The American Library Association website lists all challenges, but for the purposes of this article, I have been selective. The list is long and some books have been challenged or banned for several different reasons. Take note of the year of each challenge. Have our concerns changed over the years?

Language:

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald -challenged by Baptist College in Charleston, S.C. (1987)

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger – Medicine Bow, Wy (1986), Napoleon, ND High School (1987)

Morris, Manitoba (1982), Banned from the classrooms in Boron, CA High School (1989) because the book contains profanity.

Jamaica High School in Sidell, IL (1992)

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992)

Challenged at the Cumberland Valley High School in Carlisle, PA (1992) because of a parent's objections that it contains profanity.

Challenged as mandatory reading in the Goffstown, NH schools (1994) for containing vulgar words.

Challenged at the Oxford Hills High School in Paris, ME (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.

Removed from the required reading curriculum of the Marysville, CA Joint Unified School District (1997).

Challenged, but retained on the shelves of Limestone County, AL school district (2000)

Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, GA (2000).

Challenged, but retained in Glynn County, GA (2001)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Burned by the East St. Louis, IL Public Library (1939) and barred from the Buffalo, NY Public Library (1939) for use of "vulgar words.”. Banned in Kansas City, MO (1939).

Banned in Kern County CA, the scene of Steinbeck's novel (1939).

Banned in Ireland (1953).

Challenged as required reading for Richford, VT (1981) High School English students.

Challenged at the Cummings High School in Burlington, NC (1986) as an optional reading assignment challenged at the Moore County school system in Carthage, NC (1986) because the book contains the phase "God damn."

Challenged in the Greenville, SC schools (1991) because the book uses the name of God and Jesus in a "vain and profane manner."

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee (the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel)

Challenged in Eden Valley, MN (1977)

Challenged in the Waukegan, IL School District (1984) for its use of racial slurs.

Challenged in the Kansas City, MO junior high schools (1985).

Challenged at the Park Hill, MO Junior High School (1985) for profanity and racial slurs."

Retained on a supplemental eighth grade reading list in the Casa Grande, AZ Elementary School District (1985), despite the protests by black parents and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Removed from the Southwood High School Library in Caddo Parish, LA (1995).

Challenged at the Moss Point, MS School District (1996).

Challenged (but retained) in Glynn County, GA (2001) - School Board member challenge

Returned to the freshman reading list at Muskogee, OK High School (2001) despite complaints over the years from black students and parents about racial slurs in the text.

Challenged at the Stanford Middle School in Durham, NC (2004) 

Challenged at the Brentwood, TN Middle School (2006)

Removed (2009) from the St. Edmund Campion Secondary School classrooms in Brampton Ontario, Canada for racial slurs.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Removed from Aurora, CO high school (1976)

Removed from high school classrooms in Westport, MA (1977).

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Challenged in Waukegan, IL School District (1984) for racist language

The Color Purple by Alice Walker (Pulitzer Prize-winning novel)

Rejected for purchase by the Hayward, CA School’s trustee (1985)

Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, TN (1989)

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Challenged for language after six years on the required reading for the advanced placement English class by a member of the Madawaska, ME School Committee (1997).

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Challenged at the Olney, TX Independent School District (1984).

A committee of the Toronto, Canada Board of Education (1988) recommended that it be removed from all schools because of racial slurs in the text.

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Challenged for profanity and using God's name in vain in 1984 after the Knoxville, TN School Board chairman vowed to have "filthy books" removed from Knoxville's public schools.

Also challenged for profanity and using God's name in vain in:

Greenville, SC (1977) by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux Kian

Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980)

St. David, AZ (1981) and Tell City, IN (1982)

Banned from classroom use at the Scottsboro, AL Skyline High School (1983).

Challenged in:

The Marion County, WV schools (1988)

The Wheaton Warrenville, IL Middle School (1988)

Berrien Springs, MI High School (1988)

Removed from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa, AL (1989) for “profane use of God's name."

Removed from all reading lists and collected at the White Chapel High School in Pine Bluff, AR (1989)

Challenged in the Shelby County, TN school system (1989).

Challenged, but retained in a Salina, KS (1990) tenth grade English class despite concerns that it contains "profanity" and "takes the Lord's name in vain."

Challenged, but retained in Fresno, CA (1991) after a parent objected to the tenth grade English college preparatory curriculum assignment, citing profanity" and "racial slurs." Their child received an alternative reading assignment.

Challenged in the Rivera, TX schools (1990).

Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold High School in Carroll Township, PA (1991) because the novel contains terminology offensive to blacks.

Challenged at the Jacksboro, TN High School (1991) for blasphemous language and excessive cursing.

Temporarily removed from the Hamilton, OH High School reading list (1992) for vulgarity and racial slurs after a complaint by a parent.

Challenged for offensive and racist language at the Modesto, CA High School (1992).

Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in Alexandria, LA (1992)

Pulled, but later reinstated, from a classroom by the Putnam County, TN school superintendent (1994)

Challenged in the Loganville, GA High School (1994)

Challenged in the Galena, KS school library (1995)

Challenged, but retained, in the Bemidji, MN schools (1995)

Challenged, but retained, at the Stephens County High School library in Toccoa, GA (I995)

Challenged, but retained, in the Louisville, OH high school English classes (1997)

Removed, restored, restricted, and eventually retained at the Bay County schools in Panama City, FL (1997) after a citizens’ group, the 100 Black United, Inc., requested the removal of all books containing racial slurs.

Challenged, but retained, as a ninth grade literature class reading list assignment at the Sauk Rapids Rice High School in St. Cloud, MN (1997). A parent warned the racist language would lead to racist behavior and racial harassment.

Challenged in O'Hara Park Middle School classrooms in Oakley, CA (1998) for racial epithets

Challenged, but retained, in the Bryant, AR school library (1998) after 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, WI School District (1998).

Challenged, but retained in the sophomore curriculum at West Middlesex, PA High School (1999)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Challenged for objectionable language by a parent, but retained on the Stonewall Jackson High School's academically advanced reading list in Brentsville, VA (1997).

Native Son by Richard Wright

Challenged in Goffstown, NH (1978); Elmwood Park, NJ (1978).

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Challenged at the Fannett-Metal High School in Shippensburg, PA (1985) for offensive language.

Challenged for offensive language and considered inappropriate for high school reading lists in the Shelby County, TN school system (1989). 

Challenged, but retained in the Champaign, IL high school English classes (1991) for age inappropriate language.

Challenged for profanity and negative attitudes by a parent of a high schooler in Troy, IL (1991) Students were offered alternative assignments

Challenged for graphic language at the McDowell County, NC schools (1996)

Sexual References or Obscenity:

An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser

Banned in Boston, MA (1927) and burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933) because it "deals with low love affairs."

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

Challenged at the Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "sex novel."

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald - challenged by Baptist College in Charleston, S.C. (1987)

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger - Removed from the required reading list of a Medicine Bow, WY 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, ND High School (1987) after parents and the local Knights of Columbus chapter complained about its profanity and sexual references, Morris, Manitoba (1982), Jamaica High School in Sidell, IL (1992).

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992)

Challenged as mandatory reading in the Goffstown, NH schools (1994) for sexual exploits.

Challenged, but retained, at the Glynn Academy High School in Brunswick, GA (1997). A student objected to the novel's sexual references.

Removed from the required reading curriculum of the Marysville, CA Joint Unified School District (1997)

Banned, but later reinstated after community protests at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, GA (2000).

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Challenged in the Greenville, SC schools (1991) for inappropriate sexual references.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Challenged at the Brentwood, TN Middle School (2006) for adult themes such as sexual intercourse, rape, and incest.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Challenged as a reading assignment at the New Burn, NC High School (1992) because the main character is raped by her stepfather.

Challenged for graphic sexuality, but retained, on the reading list for Advanced Placement English classes at Northwest High Schools in High Point, NC (1996).

Challenged in Burke County (2008) schools in Morganton, NC by parents for depictions of homosexuality, rape, and incest.

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh/Heather Has Two Mommies by Lesléa Newman/The Color Purple by Alice Walker/The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and many others

In 2005, Alabama Representative Gerald Allen (R-Cottondale) proposed legislation prohibiting the use of public funds to purchase textbooks or library materials written by gay authors or recognizing or promoting homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle. The bill also proposed removing from library shelves and destroying novels with gay protagonists and any college textbooks suggesting that homosexuality is natural.  Alabama House Bill 30 (HB30), which did not pass, would have impacted all Alabama school, public, and university libraries.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

Challenged in the Sarasota County, FL schools (1998).

1984 by George Orwell

Challenged in the Jackson County, FL (1981) for explicit sexual matter.

Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

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 removed Lolita from the banned list on November 27, 1982.

Challenged at the Marion-Levy Public Library System in Ocala, FL (2006).  The Marion County commissioners voted to have the county attorney review the novel that addresses the themes of pedophilia and incest, to determine if it meets the state law’s definition of “unsuitable for minors.”

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Challenged for sexual overtones at the Jacksboro, TN High School (1991)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

Challenged by a parent for sexual explicitness, but retained on the Stonewall Jackson High School's academically advanced reading list in Brentsville, VA (1997).

Sophie's Choice by William Styron

Banned in South Africa in 1979.

Removed after a complaint about its sexual content, but returned to La Mirada High School library in California (2002).

Morality:

Women in Love by DH Lawrence

Seized by John Summers of the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice and declared obscene (1922).

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

Challenged at the Linton-Stockton, IN High School (1988) because the book is "blasphemous and undermines morality."

Removed from the school libraries in Morris, Manitoba (1982) for moral issues.

Challenged at the Cumberland Valley High School in Carlisle, PA (1992) because of a parent's objections.

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Challenged as required reading for Richford, VT (1981) High School English students for the book's depiction of a former minister who recounts taking advantage of a young woman.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Rejected for purchase by the Hayward, CA School’s trustee (1985)

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs

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

General Premise or Content Deemed Racist, Unacceptable or Age Inappropriate:

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

The June 1929 issue of Scribner's Magazine, which ran Hemingway's novel, was banned in Boston, MA (1929).

Banned in Italy (1929) because of its painfully accurate account of the Italian retreat from Caporetto, Italy.

Burned by the Nazis in Germany (1933).

Banned in Ireland (1939).

Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Banned in Boston, MA (1930), Ireland (1953), Riverside, CA (1960), and San Jose, CA (1960).

Burned in Nazi bonfires in Germany (1933).

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

Banned in Italy (1929), Yugoslavia (1929), and burned in Nazi bonfires (1933).

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

Banned from public libraries in Yugoslavia (1929). Burned in the Nazi bonfires because of Sinclair's socialist views (1933).

Banned in East Germany (1956) as inimical to communism.

Banned in South Korea (1985).

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence

Banned by U.S. Customs (1929).

Banned in Ireland (1932), Poland (1932), Australia (1959), Japan (1959), and India (1959).

Banned in Canada (1960) until 1962. 

Sales and circulation of Lawrence’s novel was stopped in China (1987) for its potential to corrupt the minds of young people and content inconsistent with Chinese tradition.”

The Naked and the Dead by Norman Mailer

Banned in Canada (1949) and Australia (1949).

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

Banned from U.S. Customs (1934).

The U.S. Supreme Court found the novel not obscene (1964).

Banned in Turkey (1986). 

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway

Declared non-mailable by the U.S. Post Office (1940).

On Feb. 21, 1973, eleven Turkish book publishers and eight booksellers went on trial before an Istanbul martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing, and selling books (including For Whom the Bell Tolls) in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law command and spreading propaganda unfavorable to the state.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Banned from Anaheim, CA Union High School District English classrooms (1978).

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

In 1960, a teacher in Tulsa, OK was fired, but later reinstated for assigning the book to an eleventh grade English class. The book was removed from use in the school.

In 1963, a group of parents in Columbus, OH, unsuccessfully challenged the novel for being "anti-white" and "obscene."

Removed from the Selinsgrove, PA suggested reading list (1975) because of parents' objections to language and content of the book. The book was later reinstated.

Challenged as an assignment in an American literature class in Pittsgrove, NJ  (1977). 

Removed from the Issaquah, WA optional High School reading list (1978).

Removed from the required reading list in Middleville, MI (1979).

Removed from the Jackson Milton school libraries in North Jackson, OH (1980).

Removed from two Anniston, AL High school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restrictive basis.

Challenged at the Libby, MT High School (1983) for unacceptable content

Banned from English classes at the Freeport High School in De Funiak Springs, FL (1985) deemed “unacceptable" and "obscene."

Challenged at the Grayslake, IL Community High School (1991).

Challenged at the Jamaica High School in Sidell, IL (1992) because the book contains profanities and depicts premarital sex, alcohol abuse, and prostitution.

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.

Challenged, but retained, at the New Richmond, WI High School (1994) for use in some English classes.

Challenged as required reading in the Corona Norco, CA Unified School District (1993)

Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995).

Removed by a Dorchester District 2 school board member in Summerville, SC (2001) because it "is a filthy, filthy book."

Challenged in the Big Sky High School in Missoula, MT (2009).

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Banned in Kanawha, IA High School classes (1980).

Challenged in Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980).

Banned in Morris, Manitoba, Canada (1982).

Removed from two Anniston, Ala. high school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restrictive basis.

Challenged in the Union City, TN High School classes (1993).

Eleven Turkish book publishers were put on trial by the Istanbul martial law tribunal on charges of publishing, possessing and selling books containing propaganda unfavorable to the state in violation of an order of the Istanbul martial law command (1973).

Banned in Kern County CA, the scene of Steinbeck's novel (1939) because residents felt it portrayed their community in a negative light.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Challenged in the Vernon Verona Sherill, NY School District (1980) as a "filthy, trashy novel."

Challenged at the Warren, IN Township schools (1981) for its "psychological damage to the positive integration process" and examples of “institutionalized racism.”  

Challenged at the Santa Cruz, CA Schools (1995) because of its racial themes. 

Banned from the Lindale, TX advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community."

Challenged in the Normal, IL Community High School's sophomore literature class (2003) as being degrading to African Americans.

Challenged (but retained) in the English curriculum by the Cherry Hill, NJ Board of Education (2007) for objections to the novel’s depiction of racist treatment of blacks.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Challenged (but retained) for Oakland, CA High School honors class (1984) for sexual and social explicitness, troubling ideas about race relations, man's relationship to God, African history, and human sexuality.

Removed from the open shelves of the Newport News, VA school library (1986) and placed in a special section accessible for students with written permission from a parent or students 18 & up.

Challenged at the public libraries of Saginaw, MI (1989) as “too sexually graphic for a 12-year-old.” 

Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, TN (1989)

Challenged as an optional reading assignment in Ten Sleep, WY schools (1990).

Banned in the Souderton, PA Area School District (1992) deemed inappropriate reading for 10th graders & labelled "smut."

Challenged on the curricular reading list at Pomperaug High School in Southbury, CT (1995) as inappropriate for high school reading.

Challenged (but retained) as an English course reading assignment in the Junction City, OR high school (1995) for inappropriate language, graphic sexual scenes, and book's negative image of black men.

Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995).

Challenged for violence (but retained) on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996).

Challenged for violence, but retained, on the reading list for Advanced Placement English classes at Northwest High Schools in High Point, NC (1996).

Removed from the Jackson County, WV school libraries (1997)

Challenged as vulgar and "X-rated, but retained as part of a supplemental reading list at the Shawnee School in Lima, OH (1999).

Removed from the Ferguson High School library in Newport News, VA (1999). Students may request and borrow the book with parental approval.

Challenged in the Fairfax County, VA elementary and secondary libraries (2002), by a group called Parents Against Bad Books in Schools for profanity and sexually explicit conduct.

Ulysses by James Joyce

Burned in the U.S. (1918), Ireland (1922), Canada (1922), England (1923) and banned in England (1929).

Beloved by Toni Morrison (1987 Pulitzer Prize winning novel)

Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995).

Challenged for violence, but retained, on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996).

Challenged for violating Christian values, but retained on the Northwest Suburban High School District 214 reading listing in Arlington Heights, IL (2006).

Challenged for content in the Coeur d’Alene School District, ID (2007) – some parents wanted required parental permission.

Pulled from the senior Advanced Placement (AP) English class at Eastern High School in Louisville, KY (2007) because two parents complained about the inappropriate topics of bestiality, racism, and sex. 

The Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).

Challenged at the Sully Buttes, SD High School (1981).

Challenged at the Owen, NC High School (1981) because the book implies that man is little more than an animal.

Challenged at the Marana, AZ High School (1983) as inappropriate.

Challenged at the Olney, TX Independent School District (1984) for excessive violence.

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) for lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled.

Challenged, but retained on the ninth-grade accelerated English reading list in Bloomfield, NY (2000).

1984 by George Orwell

Challenged in the Jackson County, FL (1981) for being pro-communist.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

Of Mice and MenBanned in Ireland (1953); Syracuse, IN (1974); Oil City, PA (I977); Grand Blanc, MI (1979); Continental, OH (1980) and other communities.

Reinstated at the Christian County, KY school libraries and English classes (1987) after being challenged as vulgar and offensive.

Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga, TN (1989) after a resident claimed Steinbeck was “anti business with questionable patriotism."

Removed for indecency and later returned to the Suwannee, FL High School library (1991)

Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County, VA schools (1991 & 1992) because of profanity and morbid and depressing themes.

Challenged in the Waterloo, IA schools (1992) and the Duval County, FL public school libraries (1992) because of profanity, lurid passages about sex, and statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled. 

Challenged as an appropriate English curriculum assignment at the Mingus, AZ Union High School (1993) because of "profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending."

Challenged in the Galena, KS school library (1995) because of social implications.

Challenged, but retained in a Warm Springs, VA High School (1995) English class.

Banned for being age inappropriate from the Washington Junior High School curriculum in Peru, IL (1997)

Challenged in the Tomah, WI School District (1999) because the novel is violent and contains obscenities.

Challenged as required reading at the high school in Grandville, MI (2002) for racism, profanity, and foul language.

Banned from the George County, MS schools (2002) because of profanity.

Challenged in the Normal, IL Community High Schools (2003) for racial slurs, profanity, violence, and failure to represent traditional values.

Challenged after 30 years as required reading at the Greencastle-Antrim, PA (2006) tenth-grade English classes for racial slurs and profanity. Retained, but students now have the option of reading an alternative work.

Challenged after being part of the curriculum for over 25 years for use of profanity and blasphemy at the Newton, IA High School (2007)

Challenged for profanity and derogatory references/portrayals of African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled, but retained in the Olathe, KS ninth grade curriculum (2007).

Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

Banned by the Strongsville, OH school board (1972), but the ban was overturned in 1976 by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District.

Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974)

Challenged in Snoqualmie, WA (1979) for referring to women as "whores."

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner

Banned in the Graves County School District in Mayfield, KY (1986) for "offensive and obscene passages referring to abortion and blasphemy." Reinstated a week later after intense pressure from the ACLU and considerable negative publicity.

Native Son by Richard Wright

Challenged for violence, sex, and profanity in North Adams, MA (1981).

Challenged for vulgarity, profanity and sexually explicit content at the Berrian Springs, MI High School in classrooms and libraries (1988).

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote

Banned after a parent complained about sex, violence, and profanity in the book. Reinstated as part of an Advanced Placement English Class at the Windsor Forest High School in Savannah, GA (2000) after public protests of the ban.

All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren

Challenged at the Dallas, TX Independent School District high school libraries (1974).

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

Burned in Alamagordo, NM (2001) outside Christ Community Church along with other Tolkien novels as satanic.

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

Challenged as required reading in the Hudson Falls, NY schools (1994) for recurring themes of rape, masturbation, violence, and degrading treatment of women.

Challenged as a ninth-grade summer reading option in Prince William County, VA (1988) for profanity and explicit sex."

Sons and Lovers by D.H. Lawrence

Labelled as “smut” by an Oklahoma City group called Mothers United for Decency (1961).

Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Withdrawn from the school library by the Strongsville, Ohio School Board (1972) Overturned by a U.S. District Court in Minarcini v. Strongsville City School District, 541 F. 2d 577 (6th Cir. 1976). 

Challenged at Merrimack, NH High School (1982)

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

A bookseller in Orem, UT was arrested for selling the novel in 1973. The charges were dropped, but the book seller had to close the store and relocate to another city.

Removed from two Anniston, AL High school libraries (1982), but later reinstated on a restricted basis.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Published in 1899, this novel was deemed disturbing by critics and the public and banished for decades.

Challenged, but retained, on the Northwestern Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, IL (2006) after a newly elected school board member promised to bring her Christian beliefs into all board decision-making. She based her arguments on excerpts from the book she'd found on the Internet.

Rabbit, Run by John Updike

Banned for obscenity and indecency in Ireland (1962 to 1967) because of the author's handling of the characters' sexuality, explicit sex acts and promiscuity

Restricted to high school students with parental permission in the six Aroostock County, ME community high school libraries (1976) because of sexual content and an extramarital affair

Removed from the required reading list for English class at the Medicine Bow, WY Junior High School (1986) for sexual references and profanity

A Separate Peace by John Knowles

Challenged as filthy, trashy and sexually explicit content in Vernon-Verona-Sherill, NY School District (1980)

Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie

Banned in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Qatar, Indonesia, South Africa, and India because of its criticism of Islam

Burned in West Yorkshire, England (1989) and temporarily withdrawn from two bookstores after receiving threats to staff and property.

Challenged for blasphemy to the prophet Mohammed at the Wichita, KS Public Library (1989)

Venezuela outlawed owning or reading the book under penalty of 15 months' imprisonment.

In Japan, the sale of the English-language edition was banned under the threat of fines.

The governments of Bulgaria and Poland also restricted its distribution.

In 1991, Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator, was stabbed to death and its Italian translator, Ettore Capriolo, was seriously wounded in separate incidents.

In 1993 the Norwegian publisher of the book, William Nygaard, was shot and seriously injured.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Banned in Ireland (1932)

Removed from classrooms in Miller, MO (1980) for making promiscuous sex "look like fun"

Challenged frequently throughout the U.S. as required reading 

Challenged as required reading at the Yukon, OK High School (1988) for language and moral content"

Challenged, but retained, as required reading in the Corona-Norco, CA Unified School District (1993) for sexual behavior directly in opposition to the health curriculum which taught sexual abstinence until marriage. Teachers provided alternative reading selections.

Removed from the Foley, AL High School Library (2000) pending review, after a parent complained its characters showed contempt for religion, marriage, and family.

Challenged, but retained in the summer Science Academy curriculum of the South Texas Independent School District in Mercedes, TX (2003) after parental objections to adult themes of sexuality, drugs and suicide. The board voted to require principals to automatically offer an alternative to a challenged book. 

Challenged for multiple references to sex and drug use, but retained in the Coeur D’Alene, ID School District (2008).

Animal Farm by George Orwell

According to a 1963 Wisconsin survey, Animal Farm was challenged by the John Birch Society for using the words "masses will revolt."

The New York State English Council's Committee on Defense Against Censorship (1968) conducted a comparable study in New York State English classrooms. Its findings identified the novel on its list of problem books because Orwell was perceived as a communist.

Excluded from the 1977 Moscow, Russia International Book Fair

According to a DeKalb County survey of censorship challenges in the schools, for the period of 1979 to 1982, Animal Farm has been objected to for its political theories.

Banned from Bay County's four middle schools and three high schools in Panama City, FL by the Bay County school superintendent in 1987 - The book was reinstated after 44 parents filed a suit against the district claiming that its instructional aids policy denies constitutional rights.

Banned from schools in the United Arab Emirates (2002) for containing written or illustrated material that contradicts Islamic and Arab values—specifically pictures of alcoholic drinks, pigs, and other "indecent images"

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

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) despite parental concerns about profanity and images of violence and sexuality in the book 

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison

Challenged, but retained, in the Columbus, OH schools (1993) for language degrading to blacks and sexually explicit situations.

Removed from required reading lists and library shelves in the Richmond County, GA. School District (1994) after a parent complained about filthy and inappropriate situations in the book

Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, FL (1995)

Removed from the St. Mary's County, MD schools' approved text list (1998) for objectionable content by the superintendent, overruling a faculty committee recommendation.

Previously suspended from the curriculum by the superintendent, but reinstated in the Shelby, MI School Advanced Placement English curriculum (2009). Students can choose an alternative book without academic penalty. 

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

Challenged in the Greeley, CO public school district (1971)

In 1974, five residents sued the Strongsville, Ohio board of education to remove the novel for pornography, glorifying criminal activity, corrupting juveniles and descriptions of bestiality, bizarre violence, torture, dismemberment, death and human elimination.

Removed from public school libraries in Randolph, NY, and Alton, OK (1975)

Removed from the required reading list in Westport, MA (1977)

Banned from the St. Anthony, ID Freemont High School classrooms (1978) - The instructor was fired and sued the school district.

Challenged at the Merrimack, NH High School (1982)

Challenged for promoting "secular humanism," but retained, as part of the curriculum in an Aberdeen, WA High School honors English class (1986)

Challenged by parents at the Placentia-Yorba Linda, CA Unified School District (2000)

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Challenged in many communities

Burned in Drake, ND (1973)

Banned in Rochester, MI for objectionable references to religious matters - An appellate court upheld its usage in the school in Todd v Rochester Community Schools, 41 Mich. App. 3 (1972).

Banned in Levittown, NY (1975), North Jackson, OH (1979), and Lakeland, FL (1982) for explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language

Barred from purchase at the Washington Park High School in Racine, WI (1984) by the district administrative assistant for instructional services

Challenged at the Owensboro, KY High School library (1985) for foul language, depiction of an act of bestiality, 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, WI Unified District high school libraries (1986) for language, depictions of torture, ethnic slurs, and negative portrayals of women

Challenged at the LaRue County, KY High School library (1987) for foul language and promoting deviant sexual behavior.

Banned from the Fitzgerald, GA schools (1987) for profanity and explicit sexual references

Challenged in the Baton Rouge, LA public high school libraries (1988) for vulgar and offensive content

Challenged in the Monroe, MI public schools (1989) as required reading in a modem novel course for high school juniors and seniors for language and unflattering portrayals of women

Challenged for violence, but retained on the Round Rock, TX Independent High School reading list (1996).

Challenged as an eleventh grade summer reading option in Prince William County, VA (1998) because the book "was rife with profanity and explicit sex:"

Removed as required reading for sophomores at the Coventry, RI High School (2000) after a parent complained about vulgar language, violent imagery and sexual content

Challenged, but retained, on the Northwestern Suburban High School District 214 reading list in Arlington Heights, IL (2006) after a newly elected school board member promised to bring her Christian beliefs into all board decision-making. She based her arguments on excerpts from the book she'd found on the Internet.

Challenged for strong sexual content in the Howell, MI High School (2007)

In response to a request from the president of the Livingston Organization for Values in Education, or LOVE, the county's top law enforcement official reviewed the books to see whether laws against distribution of sexually explicit materials to minors had been broken. He determined no laws had been broken and the author’s use of sexual content was in keeping with the plot. He also stated school boards should decide which reading materials are appropriate for minors.

Sources:

“100 most frequently challenged books by decade", American Library Association, March 26, 2013

 

http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top100 (Accessed August 26, 2019)

 

Document ID: 94512a74-d5a2-4cf4-bd81-6b3572e801c4