Censored stories: popular page-turners that were banned -

Many works have been banned in their time due to their controversial nature. Here's a list of some iconic books that were censored.

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

This book has been banned by numerous schools, condemned as it is as "blasphemous," "obscene," and "filthy."

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'The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn' - Mark Twain -

Mark Twain's contentious literary masterpiece has faced numerous bans since its initial prohibition in Concord, MA in 1885. Concerns primarily revolve around the discriminatory elements within the book.

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'Fahrenheit 451' - Ray Bradbury -

Bradbury's novel depicts a world where books are burned. Interestingly, a middle school in Irvine, CA, found a different approach by using a censored version of the novel that obscured certain "unacceptable" words.

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'Howl' - Allen Ginsberg -

Ginsberg's book, known for depicting explicit acts, has faced a ban by authorities.

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'Beloved' - Toni Morrison -

Toni Morrison's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is frequently assigned in high schools, prompting parental concerns due to its explicit violence and explicit content.

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'Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee' - Dee Brown -

In Dee Brown's book, the history of the United States is told from the perspective of American Indians. The book explores the nation's growth and westward expansion. In 1974, a school district official from Wisconsin decided to ban the book, fearing potential controversy.

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'The Words of Cesar Chavez' - Cesar Chavez -

The Mexican-American Studies program of the Tucson Unified School District was dissolved due to legal reasons, resulting in the banning of numerous books, including those written by Chavez.

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'Their Eyes Were Watching God' - Zora Neale Hurston -

Some parents of students in Advanced English classes at a high school in Virginia expressed disapproval over the explicit content and language in Hurston's popular novel, which was also adapted into a movie starring Halle Berry.

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'Gone With the Wind' - Margaret Mitchell -

Mitchell's book, awarded the Pulitzer Prize and adapted into an Academy Award-winning film, has faced bans in several places due to the contentious portrayal of slavery and the inclusion of racist language.

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'Stranger in a Strange Land' - Robert A. Heinlein -

The "adult themes" in this book prompted disapproval from parents in Mercedes, TX, leading to increased parental control over their children's reading assignments.

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'Where the Wild Things Are' - Maurice Sendak -

Many parents and librarians have deemed this story unsettling and gloomy.

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'The Great Gatsby' - F. Scott Fitzgerald -

A Baptist college in South Carolina attempted to ban Fitzgerald's acclaimed novel due to its explicit references.

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'To Kill a Mockingbird' - Harper Lee -

Certain educators view the Pulitzer Prize-winning book as degrading, indecent, and racially discriminatory.

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'Our Bodies, Ourselves' - Boston Women's Health Book Collective -

Since its publication, this influential book on female desires and anatomy has faced objections for allegedly promoting same-gender associations and for its use of words depicting intimate body parts. The challenges arose shortly after it was published.

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'The Call of the Wild' - Jack London -

This book has faced criticism and censorship throughout history. It was included in book burnings and faced bans in Italy, Yugoslavia, and other places. Critics object to its violent and dark content.

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'Catch-22' - Joseph Heller -

In 1972, a high school in Ohio removed this book from its curriculum and library. However, in 1976, the ban was overturned by the District Court.

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'S***** Behavior in the Human Male' - Alfred C. Kinsey -

Kinsey's pioneering study faced international publication bans and intense criticism in the United States due to its inquiry into individuals' intimate experiences.

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'Native Son' - Richard Wright -

Wright's book has faced challenges or bans in several US states for its explicit content and portrayal of violent scenes.

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'The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X and Alex Haley -

Malcolm X, the human rights activist also known as Malcolm Little, collaborated on this autobiography, which some critics view as a guide to criminal activities and others as "anti-white," leading them to advocate for its banning.

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'The Scarlet Letter' - Nathaniel Hawthorne -

This book has faced censorship on the grounds of alleged impropriety and divergence from societal norms.

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'Invisible Man' - Ralph Ellison -

This novel. which won the National Book Award, was prohibited in high schools in Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington due to its discussions on black nationalism and Marxism.

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'For Whom the Bell Tolls' - Ernest Hemingway -

The US Postal Service deemed Hemingway's book unsuitable for mailing shortly after its publication, resulting in limited distribution of the book. The novel was later adapted into a film, which was both a critical and commercial success, receiving an Academy Award.

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'A Streetcar Named Desire' - Tennessee Williams -

When this well-received play was adapted into a widely-watched film, the director decided to remove certain scenes to reduce the explicit nature portrayed in the stage version.

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'Leaves of Grass' - Walt Whitman -

The initial release of this book caused a stir among the New York Society for the Suppression of Vice, which considered it excessively sensual. Certain bookstores in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York even cautioned their patrons against purchasing it.

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'The Grapes of Wrath' - John Steinbeck -

Steinbeck's 1939 book faced a ban in Kern County, CA, the very place where its story unfolds, due to objections regarding its use of profanity and explicit content. Furthermore, this book has also been prohibited in various countries around the world, including Turkey. Steinbeck won a Pulitzer Prize for 'The Grapes of Wrath,' and was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. 

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'The Jungle' - Upton Sinclair -

When it was published this book was reportedly banned in countries such as Yugoslavia, East Germany, and South Korea, due to its supposed socialist views. It was also suppressed in Boston. 

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'The Red Badge of Courage' - Stephen Crane -

Concerns were raised by parents in the Bay School District, FL, regarding this book. Numerous individuals have expressed the opinion that the book contains an excessive amount of violence. 

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'In Cold Blood' - Truman Capote -

Capote's book faced complaints of profanity, explicit content, and violence, resulting in its banning. However, it was later placed back on bookshelves. 

See also: These books had to be rewritten

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