Books
7 Banned Books You Probably Read in High School (and Didn't Think Twice About)
In honor of Banned Books Week, we're taking a look at seven banned books that commonly appear on high school syllabi. Did you read these without thinking twice?
Image: Lansing Library/Flickr
In honor of Banned Books Week, we're taking a look at seven banned books that commonly appear on high school syllabi. Did you read these without thinking twice?
Image: Lansing Library/Flickr
'The Grapes of Wrath' By John Steinbeck
Who today would think that this story of Ma Joad and Pa Joad and Tom Joad and the rest of the gang trekking across the dusty American West was ban-worthy material? Well, this novel caused quite a stir when it was published back in 1939. It was burned in St. Louis and barred from the Buffalo, N.Y. Public Library due to its use of "vulgar" language. It was banned in Kansas City, Mo. and, funnily enough, in Kern County, Calif. — the very location of the novel's California scenes. The book was also banned in Ireland in 1953; in Kanawha, Iowa in 1980; and in Morris, Manitoba in 1982. Critics have challenged the book, unsuccessfully, a number of times, most recently in Tennessee in 1993.
'To Kill a Mockingbird' By Harper Lee
This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was banned, though only temporarily, in Eden Valley, Minn. in 1977 because it used the words "damn" and "whore lady." Lee's classic has seen numerous other challenges since the book's 1961 publication, but none have been successful.
'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' By Mark Twain
The town of Concord, Mass. banned this canonical American novel in 1885, calling it “trash and suitable only for the slums.” Who would think Huck and Jim's raft trip down the Mississippi could have earned such harsh words?
'The Sun Also Rises' by Ernest Hemmingway
Papa's tale of American ex-pats living, loving, and drinking (mostly drinking) in France and Spain earned itself bans in Boston, Mass. in 1930; in Ireland in 1953; and in Riverside, Calif. in 1960. Apparently, this autobiographical novel (the actual gang the novel's characters are based on is pictured) was 'too real' for censors.
'Of Mice and Men' by John Steinbeck
Another Steinbeck banned. This novella was banned in Ireland in 1953; Syracuse, Ind. in 1974; Oil City, Pa. in I977; Grand Blanc, Mich. in 1979; and Continental, Ohio in 1980. It has seen many, many challenges over the years and has been removed from several high school reading lists.
'The Catcher in the Rye' by J.D. Salinger
The story of Holden Caulfield's expulsion, with his famous denial to tell readers of his "lousy childhood" and "that David Copperfield kind of crap" has drawn much attention from would-be censors. Since its publication, it has been challenged many times and removed from high school reading lists.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
'Beloved' By Toni Morrison
This story of a slave's decision to kill her child has never been banned outright, but concerned parents have challenged it for its "violence" and crude language. Apparently not everyone appreciates Pulitzer Prize-winning books...
