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Banned Books

"Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Books are removed from the shelves in Canadian libraries, schools and bookstores every day. Free speech on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read." — freedomtoread.ca

"A word after a word after a word is power" — Margaret Atwood

The power of words. The controversy of ideas. Some books have caused an uproar in social, political, and religious circles. Celebrate your freedom to access ideas and expression by checking out some of these banned or challenged books.

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Please note: comments listed for each book are from historical sources and are not the commentary of the Prince Rupert Library.

1984 by George Orwell. Challenged in Jackson County, Fla. (1981) because the novel is "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter."

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Excluded from the children's room in the Brooklyn, N.Y. Public Library (1876) and the Denver, Colo. Public Library (1876). Confiscated at the USSR border (1930). Removed from the seventh grade curriculum in West Chester, Pa. schools (1994) after parents complained it is full of racially charged language.

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. Banned in China (1931) for portraying animals and humans on the same level: "Animals should not use human language."

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Challenged in Wise County, Va. (1982) due to "sexually offensive" passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this book because it is "a real downer."

Arabian Nights: The Thousand and One Nights by Anonymous. U.S. Customs held up 500 sets of the translation by the French scholar Mardrus, which were imported from England (1927–31). Confiscated in Cairo, Egypt (1985), on the grounds it contained obscene passages. Judged inappropriate for Jewish pupils by the Israeli director of the British Consul Library in Jerusalem, Israel (1985).

Beloved by Toni Morrison. Challenged at the St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, Fla. (1995). Challenged in Madawaska, Maine (1997) because of the book's language. This 1987 Pulitzer Prize winning novel was required reading for the advanced placement English class for six years.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Banned in Ireland (1932). Removed from classroom in Miller, Mo. (1980). Challenged at Yukon, Okla. High School (1988); challenged as required reading in Corona-Norco, Calif. Unified School District (1993) because the book "centered around negative activity."

Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee by Dee Brown. Removed in Wild Rose, Wis. (1974) by a district administrator for being "slanted." The administrator also said "if there's a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it."

The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Banned in Italy (1929), Yugoslavia (1929), and burned in Nazi bonfires (1932).

Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer. Subjected to revisions in 1928. Removed from a senior college preparatory literature course at Eureka, Ill. High School (1995) for sexual content.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. A 1991–92 study by People for the American Way found the novel among those most likely to be censored. Challenged by Concerned Citizens of Florida (1991) due to "profanity, reference to suicide, vulgarity, disrespect, and anti-Christian sentiments." A review committee voted unanimously to retain the book.

The Celluloid Closet: Homosexuality in the Movies by Vito Russo. Challenged at the Deschutes County Library in Bend, Ore. (1993) because it "encourages and condones" homosexuality.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Removed from a locked reference collection at Boulder, Colo. Public Library (1988), where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life.

Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. Challenged at Berrien Springs, Mich. High School (1988). Banned from the Cascade Middle School library in Eugene, Ore. (1992). Challenged in Moorpark High School in Simi Valley, Calif. (1993) for "hardcore graphic sexual content."

The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Challenged as appropriate reading for an Oakland, Calif. High School honors class (1984) due to "sexual and social explicitness." This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was approved by the Oakland Board of Education after nine months of debate. Banned in Souderton, Pa. Area School District (1992) as appropriate reading for tenth graders because it is "smut."

The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm. Restricted to sixth through eighth grade classrooms at Kyrene, Ariz. elementary schools (1994) due to excessive violence, negative portrayals of female characters, and anti-Semitic references.

Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems by Galileo Galilei. Banned by Pope Urban VIII for heresy and breach of good faith (1633).

Different Seasons by Stephen King. Removed from the West Lyon Community School library in Larchwood, Iowa (1987). Removed from the Washington Middle School library in Meriden, Conn. (1989). Challenged at Eagan High School in Burnsville, Minn. (1992). This collection includes the stories on which Stand by Me and The Shawshank Redemption were based.

A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this work because it propagates feminist views.

Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes. Placed on the Index in Madrid for the sentence, "Works of charity negligently performed are of no worth."

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. Students at Venado Middle School in Irvine, Calif. received copies with scores of words blacked out. Ironically, the novel is about book burning and censorship. School officials said the censored copies would no longer be used (1992).

The Figure in the Shadows by John Bellairs. Restricted at Dysart Unified School District libraries in El Mirage, Ariz. (1990) because of profanity and its link to magic.

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell. Banned from Anaheim, Calif. Union High School District English classrooms (1978). Challenged in Waukegan, Ill. School District (1984) because it uses the word "nigger."

Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. Burned by the St. Louis, Mo. Public Library (1939). Banned in Kansas City, Mo. (1939); Kern County, Calif. (1939); Ireland (1953); Kanawha, Iowa (1980); and Morris, Manitoba (1982). Challenged in Greenville, S.C. schools (1991) for using God's name in a "vain and profane manner along with inappropriate sexual references."

The Graphic Work of M.C. Escher by M.C. Escher. Retained after being challenged at Maldonado Elementary School in Tucson, Ariz. (1994) for "pornographic," "perverted," and "morbid" themes.

Grendel by John C. Gardner. Challenged, but retained, on high school reading lists in Douglas, Colo. (1997). Parents complained that the novel was too obscene and violent for high school students.

Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift. Denounced as wicked and obscene in Ireland (1726).

Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Banned in Ethiopia (1978).

The Happy Prince and Other Stories by Oscar Wilde. Challenged at Springfield, Ore. Public Library (1988) because the stories were "distressing and morbid."

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou. Challenged quite often due to the poet's descriptions of being raped as a young girl.

It by Stephen King. Challenged at Lincoln, Nebr. school libraries (1987); placed on a "closed shelf" at Franklinville, N.Y. Central High School library (1992).

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl. Challenged at Deep Creek Elementary School in Charlotte Harbor, Fla. (1991) because it is "not appropriate reading material for young children." Said to promote drug use and contain crude language. Removed from classrooms in Stafford County, Va. (1995).

King Lear by William Shakespeare. Banned from the English stage from 1788 to 1820 out of respect to King George III's alleged insanity.

The Koran. Ban lifted by the Spanish Index in 1790. Restricted to students of history in the USSR (1926).

Le Morte D'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory. Challenged as required reading at Pulaski County High School in Somerset, Ky. (1997) because it is "junk."

League of Extraordinary Gentleman by Alan Moore. Pulled from library shelves for its graphic sexual content.

The Life and Times of Renoir by Janice Anderson. Restricted at Pulaski, Pa. Elementary School Library (1997) because of nude paintings in the book.

A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein. Challenged at Cunningham Elementary School in Beloit, Wis. (1985) because the book "encourages children to break dishes so they won't have to dry them." Removed from Minot, N.Dak. Public School libraries. Challenged at Big Bend Elementary School in Mukwonago, Wis. (1986) because some poems "glorified Satan, suicide and cannibalism."

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Challenged in Howard County, Md. school system (1990) because it depicts "graphic violence, mysticism, and gore."

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Removed from classrooms, but later reinstated, for third-graders at Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton, Calif. (1996) because it "promotes racial epithets and is fueling the fire of racism."

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Challenged at Lafourche Parish elementary school libraries in Thibodaux, La. (1993) because the book is "offensive to Indians." Banned in Sturgis, S.Dak. elementary school classrooms (1993) due to statements considered derogatory to Native Americans.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Challenged in Laytonville, Calif. Unified School District (1989) because it "criminalizes the foresting industry."

The Lords of Discipline by Pat Conroy. Challenged in Cobb County, Ga. schools (1992) for profanity and descriptions of sadomasochistic acts. Removed from an elective English course by Westonka, Minn. School Board (1992) due to parental complaints about language and sex.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. Challenged at Haines City, Fla. High School (1982) for profanity and the use of God's name in vain. Challenged at Newton-Conover, N.C. High School (1987) and at Gatlinburg-Pittman, Tenn. High School (1993) due to profanity.

My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara. Removed from fifth and sixth grade optional reading lists in Clay County, Fla. schools (1990) because the book uses the word "bitch" to refer to a female dog, as well as the word "damn."

The Odyssey by Homer. Plato suggested expurgating it for immature readers (387 B.C.) and Caligula tried to suppress it because it expressed Greek ideals of freedom.

On the Origin of Species by Charles Darwin. Banned from Trinity College in Cambridge, UK (1859); Yugoslavia (1935); Greece (1937). The teaching of evolution was prohibited in Tennessee from 1925–1967.

Paradise Lost by John Milton. Listed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in Rome (1758).

Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry. The Ogden, Utah School District (1979) restricted circulation of Hansberry's play in response to criticism from an anti-pornography organization.

The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll edited by Jim Miller. Challenged in Jefferson, Ky. (1982) because it "will cause our children to become immoral and indecent."

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Banned in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Somalia, Sudan, Malaysia, Qatar, Indonesia, South Africa, and India. Burned in West Yorkshire, England (1989). Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa sentencing the author to death. Challenged at the Wichita, Kans. Public Library (1989) because it is "blasphemous to the prophet Mohammed." Publishers and translators of the book have been attacked and, in some cases, murdered.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Burned in Drake, N.Dak. (1973). Banned in Rochester, Mich. because the novel "contains and makes references to religious matters." Challenged at Owensboro, Ky. high school library (1985). Challenged, but retained on the Round Rock, Tex. Independent High School reading list (1996) after a challenge that the book was too violent.

Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison. Challenged, but retained in Columbus, Ohio schools (1993). Removed from required reading lists in Richmond County, Ga. School District (1994). Challenged at St. Johns County Schools in St. Augustine, Fla. (1995). Removed from St. Mary's County, Md. schools' approved text list (1998) over the objections of the faculty.

The Stand by Stephen King. Restricted at Whitford Intermediate School in Beaverton, Ore. (1989) because of "sexual language, casual sex, and violence."

The Talmud. Burned in Cairo, Egypt (1190); Paris, France (1244); and Salamanca, Spain (1490). Multiple Popes ordered its burning or confiscation between 1239 and 1592.

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Challenged and temporarily banned in Eden Valley, Minn. (1977). Challenged at Warren, Ind. Township schools (1981) because the book "represents institutionalized racism under the guise of 'good literature'." Banned from Lindale, Tex. advanced placement English reading list (1996) because the book "conflicted with the values of the community."

Tom Jones by Henry Fielding. Banned in France (1749).

Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Removed from a Merrimack, N.H. high school English class (1996) because of a policy that bans instruction which has "the effect of encouraging or supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative."

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Challenged in Waukegan, Ill. School District (1984) because the novel contains the word "nigger." Never mind that the novel is often credited with raising public antislavery sentiment which ultimately led to the emancipation of American slaves.

Welcome to the Monkey House by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. A teacher was dismissed for assigning this collection of short stories to her eleventh grade English class because the book promoted "the killing off of elderly people and free sex." The teacher brought suit and won.

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein. Challenged at West Allis-West Milwaukee, Wis. school libraries (1986) because the book "suggests drug use, the occult, suicide, death, violence, disrespect for truth, disrespect for legitimate authority, rebellion against parents." Challenged at Central Columbia School District in Bloomsburg, Pa. (1993).

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989). Removed from the Springs Public School library in East Hampton, N.Y. (1993) because there is a tiny drawing of a woman lying on the beach wearing a bikini bottom but no top.

The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Challenged at Hays, Kans. Public Library (1989) because it "could lead young readers to embrace satanism." The Newbery Award-winning book was retained on the approved reading list at Matthew Henson Middle School in Waldorf, Md. (1991) despite objections to its references to the occult.

A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Challenged at Polk City, Fla. Elementary School (1985) by a parent who believed the story promotes witchcraft, crystal balls, and demons. Challenged in Anniston, Ala. schools (1990), the complainant objecting to the book's listing the name of Jesus Christ together with the names of great artists, philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders.