Banned books: Historically, banning books has been perceived as a way to stop the spread of personal opinions and political controversy. A way for a group of people to control what is available to be read.
Banned books are a hot topic and have been widely disputed. Many believe that the choice of what to read should be at the discretion of the reader, and banning books is censorship at its finest. Others wish to withhold literature and books that are monumental to people, beliefs, and movements in hope to stop that idea or opinion from seeing the light of day.
While today many books are no longer banned, lists of banned books still exist and many stories are still considered controversial. Most lists of books are banned from public schools or certain age groups as required reading.
Below I have compiled a list of some classical literature that was , and in some cases still is, banned from regions and schools throughout the world.
Some of the banned classic books throughout the world, may surprise you!
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7. The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
This book is mainly outlawed in the US. It was first banned in 1960 in Oklahoma when a teacher was fired for assigning it as reading in her class. Though she managed to appeal her termination, the book was still banned throughout the state. Wyoming, North Dakota and California were also successful in getting it banned from schools. While it is back in the school circuit these days, it was prohibited for a good chunk of time due to its political controversy, vulgar language and and defamatory statements about God.
6. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
France, England, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand all have labeled this as a banned book. Due to the age gap between the two main characters, a male who is 37 and a 12 year old girl, many sought to make sure the book was banned from schools and libraries. The taboo relationship, the unwieldy narrator, and the way the story goes about writing from the point of view of a narrator who is a pedophile is the reason this story was banned in the first place. While it does not have intense sex scenes, the language and the way it promotes this relationship was the driving factor in the controversy.
5. The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The violence that is portrayed in this book, the sexual content that occurs, explicit language, and the stereotypes the book promotes are what caused this book to be banned from schools throughout the US. Many people believed that reading this book would change the way their kids thought or acted, and parents did not want them to be reading it at such a young age.
4. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Banned in Ireland for having themes of suicide, sexual content, the portrayal of drug use, and challenging family values, this book was never even released in Ireland. Outside of Ireland it was banned very shortly after publication citing it “centered around negative activity“ in Texas. Parents fought so hard against this story that it was agreed the school had to provide alternative reading if the parents said their child could not read the book.
3. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
South Africa, Pakistan , Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Bangladesh, Sudan, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Qatar. In the UK about 7000 people gathered to burn the book in the streets. This is one of the few publication that has a bloody history. It went so far that Rushdie had to go into hiding due to a death warrant issued against him, and the translator in Japan was killed.
2. Animal Farm, George Orwell
These countries all banned this book : Russia, Cuba, North Korea, Kenya and in more recent days the UAE in 2002 due to the pig talking and how this is against the Muslim religion.
1. The Well Of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
Due to it centering around a lesbian relationship, this book was banned in the UK after a campaign lead by the Sunday Express. The Sunday Express’s justification to the banning is: “In order to prevent the contamination and corruption of English fiction it is the duty of the critic to make it impossible for any other novelist to repeat this outrage. I say deliberately that this novel is not fit to be sold by any bookseller or to be borrowed from any library.”
These books are all great books to read , and will give you an opinion or outlook on a topic you may not have had the opportunity to learn more about. Even if you do not agree or like the subject, sometimes reading about it can help you either understand or strengthen your own beliefs.
Happy reading !
