Community BookshelfLike this list

42 items

• Catch-22

  Heller, Joseph

  Add Catch-22 to your for later shelf

  Has been challenged in Texas in 1974 and Washington in 1979 for "sexual references to women as 'whores' ". It was banned in Ohio in 1972 and Alaska in 2021 for "sexual content and profane and inappropriate language".

• Goodnight Moon

  Brown, Margaret Wise, 1910-1952

  Add Goodnight Moon to your for later shelf

  Between 1947-1972 an influential New York Public Library Children's Librarian disliked the book so much when it was published that the library didn't carry it until 1972.

• The Lord of the Rings

  Tolkien, J. R. R. (John Ronald Reuel), 1892-1973

  Add The Lord of the Rings to your for later shelf

  Burned in New Mexico in 2001 because it "was thought to be at the very core of satanic behavior and witchcraft while also charged as depicting scenes of people engaged in smoking".

• Winnie-the-Pooh

  Milne, A. A. (Alan Alexander), 1882-1956

  Add Winnie-the-Pooh to your for later shelf

  2003, Bartley, West Yorkshire, England Junior High School’s Headteacher decreed all books featuring pigs should be removed because it could POTENTIALLY offend the school’s Muslim students and their parents. Muslim Council on Britain…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

  Baum, L. Frank (Lyman Frank), 1856-1919

  Add The Wonderful Wizard of Oz to your for later shelf

  Banned in Chicago Public Schools in 1928 for it's "ungodly" influence and "for depicting women in strong leadership roles". Was also banned in Detroit Public Library in 1957 for having "no value for children of today; bringing children's…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Harold and the Purple Crayon

  Johnson, Crockett, 1906-1975

  Add Harold and the Purple Crayon to your for later shelf

  This appears on a variety of banned/challenged lists without any confirmed report regarding where or when the book was challenged. It's often cited reason is “promoting vandalism.”

• Fahrenheit 451

  Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012

  Add Fahrenheit 451 to your for later shelf

  Challenged in Texas in 2006 and Florida in 2018 for discussion of being drunk, smoking cigarettes, violence, "dirty talk", references to the Bible, using God's name in vain, and going against "religious beliefs".

• Green Eggs and Ham

  Seuss, Dr

  Add Green Eggs and Ham to your for later shelf

  Banned from 1965-1991 in China for “its portrayal of early Marxism” and the ban wasn’t lifted until the author’s death in 1991. Banned in California in 1992 because it promoted a seductive homosexual agenda.

• Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

  Twain, Mark, 1835-1910

  Add Adventures of Huckleberry Finn to your for later shelf

  Has caused controversy since it was published in 1885 and was either been challenged or banned every year since for it's offensive language and being degrading towards African Americans.

• Little House on the Prairie

  Wilder, Laura Ingalls, 1867-1957

  Add Little House on the Prairie to your for later shelf

  Challenged in Louisiana in 1993 and banned in South Dakota in 1994 for being offensive and derogatory towards Native Americans.

• O Pioneers!

  Cather, Willa, 1873-1947

  Add O Pioneers! to your for later shelf

  This appears on a number of banned/challenged lists with no specific reason or location or date provided. Unconfirmed sources cite the author’s lesbianism and cross-dressing.

• Their Eyes Were Watching God

  Hurston, Zora Neale

  Add Their Eyes Were Watching God to your for later shelf

  Challenged in Virginia in 1997 for sexual explicitness.

• To Kill a Mockingbird

  Lee, Harper

  Add To Kill a Mockingbird to your for later shelf

  Has been challenged/banned nearly every year since it was published usually do to its racial themes/slurs, profanity, and adult themes such as intercourse, rape, and incest.

• Invisible Man

  Ellison, Ralph

  Add Invisible Man to your for later shelf

  Challenged in 1995 in Washington with a 5 month dispute from parents with concerns about profanity, and images of violence and sexuality. Banned (for 10 days) in 2003 in North Carolina for its lack of innocence and sexual content.

• The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes

  Hughes, Langston, 1902-1967

  Add The Collected Poems of Langston Hughes to your for later shelf

  Many novels from Langston Hughes were banned in 2016 in Texas prisons for containing the n-word.

• Charlotte's Web

  White, E. B. (Elwyn Brooks), 1899-1985

  Add Charlotte's Web to your for later shelf

  2003, Bartley, West Yorkshire, England Junior High School’s Headteacher decreed all books featuring pigs should be removed because it could POTENTIALLY offend the school’s Muslim students and their parents. Muslim Council on Britain…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Romeo and Juliet

  Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616

  Add Romeo and Juliet to your for later shelf

  "No Fear Shakespeare" (an easy to read version of the play produced by Sparknotes) was challenged in South Carolina in 2012 for having "mature themes and discusses sex".

• One Hundred Years of Solitude

  García Márquez, Gabriel, 1927-2014

  Add One Hundred Years of Solitude to your for later shelf

  Challenged frequently throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s due to offensive language, disrespect for religious and political authority, and sexually explicit, emotionally disturbing scenes and themes, including war, death, incest and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kansas City, Missouri

  Its History and Its People, 1808-1908

  Whitney, Carrie Westlake

  Add Kansas City, Missouri to your for later shelf

• Tom's Town

  Kansas City and the Pendergast Legend

  Reddig, William M.

  Add Tom's Town to your for later shelf