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© History Oasis
This list of Banned books showcases some of the most controversial and frequently challenged literary works throughout history.
Highlighting the often surprising and sometimes absurd reasons behind their censorship attempts.
The Catcher in the Rye faced widespread censorship and banning attempts, becoming the most censored book in U.S. high schools and libraries between 1961 and 1982.
In one particularly bizarre incident in 1978, the novel was briefly banned in Issaquah, Washington high schools when three school board members alleged it was part of an "overall communist plot”.
Harry Potter has faced numerous attempts at banning, with the series landing on the American Library Association's Top 10 Banned Book List in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2019. Critics have claimed the books promote witchcraft, contain actual spells and curses, reference Satanism, and use "nefarious means" to attain goals.
A pastor in New Mexico organized a book burning of the series in 2001 and a Catholic school in Nashville banning the books in 2019 due to fears they could "conjure evil spirits."
Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence was banned in multiple countries for its explicit sexual content, leading to a landmark obscenity trial in the UK in 1960 that ultimately allowed its publication and became a key moment in the sexual revolution.
In one of the trial's most memorable moments, the chief prosecutor asked if it was the kind of book "you would wish your wife or servants to read”?
The Great Gatsby has faced numerous attempts at banning over the years, primarily due to its language, sexual references, and depictions of violence and partying.
One of the most notable challenges came in 1987 from the Baptist College in Charleston, South Carolina, while in 2008, the school board in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, attempted to remove the book from reading lists until 100 people protested at a board meeting, leading to the decision being reversed.
Animal Farm has faced numerous bans and challenges since its publication, including being rejected by several publishers initially due to concerns about criticizing the Soviet Union during World War II.
One of the most striking instances occurred in 1977 when the book was banned from the International Book Fair in Moscow.
In 2018, the Chinese government censored all online posts about Animal Farm, though curiously, the book itself remains widely available for purchase in mainland China.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn has faced numerous banning attempts since its publication in 1885, with the Concord Public Library committee being one of the first to exclude it, describing it as "trash" suitable only for the "slums".
Mark Twain himself sarcastically supported some efforts to ban the book, claiming he wrote it "for adults exclusively" and that allowing young people to read it would soil their minds irreparably.
The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie sparked a global controversy when it was banned in several countries and led to Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini issuing a fatwa calling for Rushdie's death in 1989.
In the aftermath, the book's Japanese translator was murdered, its Italian translator was stabbed, its Norwegian publisher was shot, and Rushdie himself was seriously injured in a stabbing attack as recently as 2022.
To Kill a Mockingbird has faced numerous attempts at banning since its publication in 1960, with challenges citing its use of racial slurs, discussion of rape, and perceived criticism of the white Southern way of life.
In 2016, Virginia temporarily banned the book for its racist language, despite the novel's anti-racist themes and its role in teaching about racial injustice.
Brave New World has faced numerous bans and challenges since its publication in 1932, including being banned in Ireland for its language and allegedly being anti-family and anti-religion.
The book was banned in India in 1967, with Aldous Huxley himself accused of being a "pornographer"—a stark contrast to the novel's critique of hedonistic society.
The Bluest Eye has been one of the most frequently banned books in the United States since its publication in 1970, appearing on the American Library Association's list of top 10 most challenged books multiple times.
One of the most outrageous attempts to ban the novel occurred in 2013 when the Ohio Board of Education President called it "pornographic" and claimed it had a "socialist-communist agenda", despite the book being set in Morrison's home state of Ohio and exploring themes of internalized racism.
Despite being a critique of totalitarianism, Nineteen Eighty-Four was ironically banned in the Soviet Union until 1988 and in China until 1979, with secret translations circulating among dissidents.
The novel was also briefly banned in the United States in 1981 for being "pro-communist," and some schools have attempted to ban it for its sexual content, highlighting how the book's message about censorship and thought control has been repeatedly misunderstood or deliberately suppressed by various governments and institutions.
Fahrenheit 451, a novel about book burning and censorship, ironically faced its own censorship challenges, including being banned in apartheid South Africa and expurgated by its own publisher for use in U.S. high schools.
In 1992, students at a middle school in Irvine, California were given copies of the book with numerous words blacked out by school officials, leading to public outcry and media coverage of the absurdity of censoring a book about the dangers of censorship.
Lolita faced numerous bans and controversies upon its release, including being prohibited in England and France shortly after its initial publication by Olympia Press in Paris in 1955.
Ironically, the book that was initially rejected by multiple American publishers due to its controversial subject matter went on to become a bestseller in the United States after its 1958 release, despite (or perhaps partly because of) its notoriety and the heated debates surrounding its moral implications.
The Color Purple has faced numerous attempts at censorship since its publication in 1982, appearing on the American Library Association's list of 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books for three consecutive decades (1990s, 2000s, and 2010s).
Despite winning both the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award in 1983, the novel has been challenged for its sexual explicitness, violence, and LGBTQ+ themes, with some of the most vocal opposition coming after the release of Steven Spielberg's 1985 film adaptation.
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