Banned Books: Why And How Titles Get Blacklisted

We’re lucky to live in an age when so much information is available at our fingertips via the internet and other channels of communication.

However, if you live in a country with relatively few limitations on freedom of speech and expression, you may be surprised to learn how many books have been banned at either national or local and institutional levels.

Why Are Books Banned?

There are a number of reasons why certain books become banned, often depending on what level the ban took place.

We often think of “banned books” being prohibited by the government (and that certainly has happened in the U.S.), but more often, the restrictions are a choice made by schools, libraries, or local governments, usually to protect children from offensive language or sexually explicit content . In fact, parents challenge materials more often than any other group.

Parents (or any individuals, for that matter) can challenge books in an effort to have them removed from the curriculum or library, which consequently restricts the access of others.

Books Banned at School or Local Level

Below is a list of popular classics that have been challenged or (at least temporarily) banned at the school or local level:

Ulysses (published 1922): banned (and sometimes burned) for “obscene” content in the U.S., Ireland, UK, Canada, and Spain.
The Great Gatsby (published 1925): challenged at the Baptist College in Charleston, SC (1987) for “language and sexual references”
Gone with the Wind (published 1936): banned from several high schools for its use of the N-word.
Of Mice and Men (published 1937): challenged and banned from multiple counties for profanity and racial slurs.
The Grapes of Wrath (published 1939): banned (and even burned) by numerous schools and libraries for “vulgar words” and “inappropriate sexual references;” banned in Ireland; temporarily banned in California for its alleged “unflattering portrayal of residents of the area.”
The Catcher in the Rye (published 1951): banned by a number of schools at the request of parents for its “unacceptable” and “obscene” content.
Animal Farm (published 1954): banned (but quickly reinstated) at several schools for its political themes.
Lolita (published 1955): banned in several countries as obscene; challenged at the Marion-Levy Public Library System in Ocala, FL in 2006.
To Kill a Mockingbird (published 1960): challenged and removed from some school curricula for language and racial themes.
Slaughterhouse-Five (published 1969): banned in several counties for explicit language and sexual content.
The Color Purple (published 1982): removed from several schools language and sexually explicit content.

How Do Books Get Banned?

It’s important to note that what is considered grounds for a challenge varies greatly based on where / who is making the challenge. What is considered a “damaging” lifestyle could encompass things like cohabitation before marriage in the eyes of a religious school, buy that likely would not lead to removal in a normal public school.

The process of book banning a book begins with a challenge, most often initiated by a parent or librarian. (This is just the first step; many challenges never succeed.)

Then, the challenge is reported to the American Library Association, which keeps track of all the challenges issued each year.

Schools, book stores, and libraries are the only places that can ban books that have been challenged. Once a challenge is made, the institution in question can either ban the book from the premises, or deny the challenge.

A book can be banned for one of several reasons:

racial issues
encouragement of “damaging” lifestyles
blasphemous dialogue or language
sexual situations
violence or negativity
presence of witchcraft
religious affiliations (unpopular religions)
political bias
age inappropriateness

What Books Have Been Banned in the US?

The following books were at one point banned at either the state or federal level:

The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio (1353)

Also condemned by the Catholic Church, Boccaccio’s The Decameron was banned in the United States until the 1930s. The book contains 100 tales that follow a group of seven young women and three young men, as they shelter in a secluded villa outside Florence during the Black Death. The stories range from the tragic to the erotic (which is why it was banned for so long in the U.S. and other countries.)

The Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer (1392)

Full of profanity and sexual innuendo, Chaucer’s “blasphemous” tale was banned from US mail under the 1873 Comstock Law, which made it illegal to send “obscene, lewd or lascivious,” “immoral,” or “indecent” publications through the mail. Even today, there’s a good chance you’ll pick up an abridged version.

Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe (1852)

This anti-slavery novel was banned in the Confederate states during the Civil War. Interestingly, the book was also banned in Russia under Nicolas I for its ideas of equality and “undermining religious ideals.”

Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)

Notorious for its explicit sexual content, Tropic of Cancer has been credited with being responsible for the “free speech that we now take for granted in literature.” The book was banned in the US and seized by US Customs from the 1930s until the early 1960s.

Memoirs of Hecate County by Edmund Wilson (1946)

This book was banned in the US from 1946 to 1959 for its “sexual frankness,” after a court deemed it obscene for its descriptions of the female anatomy, among other things.

Naked Lunch by William S. Burroughs (1959)

This non-linear narrative was banned by Boston courts in 1962 for obscenity, but only for four years, as the decision was overturned in 1966 by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.

Pedagogy of the Oppressed by Paulo Freire (1968)

The Pentagon Papers

President Nixon attempted to ban the publication of these documents (officially titled Report of the Office of the Secretary of Defense Vietnam Task Force) because they contained classified information. However, the temporary restraint was lifted by the Supreme Court. In 2011, the documents were formally declassified and released to the public.

60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye

J.D. Salinger obtained a court injunction to indefinitely ban this unauthorized sequel to his classic, The Catcher in the Rye, from publication or distribution in the United States, although it has been published in other countries.

Operation Dark Heart

This memoir by Army Reserve Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer examines the successes and failures of the U.S. in Afghanistan. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Defense purchased and destroyed all first edition copies, citing concerns that it contained classified information that could threaten national security. St. Martin’s Press then released a redacted version featuring blacked out segments.

Banned Books Week in America

Each September, the American Library Association and Amnesty International join forces to promote an awareness campaign known as Banned Books Week.

The campaign aims to draw attention to banned and challenged books, while emphasizing the importance of protecting the availability of unorthodox or unpopular view to all who wish to read them.

Do you think governments should be able to ban certain books? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Kaelyn Barron

As a blog writer for TCK Publishing, Kaelyn loves crafting fun and helpful content for writers, readers, and creative minds alike. She has a degree in International Affairs with a minor in Italian Studies, but her true passion has always been writing. Working remotely allows her to do even more of the things she loves, like traveling, cooking, and spending time with her family.