Banned Books

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: language, sexual references

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger: "vulgar" content, "obscene," profanity, sexual references, "centered around negative activity", use of "the F- word."

The Color Purple by Toni Morrison: language and content were "objectionable," profanity; contains "sexual intercourse, rape, and incest," and it "conflicted with the values of the community."

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck: burned in the late 1930s on the grounds that "vulgar words" were used. "Takes the Lord's name in vain," "contains the phrase 'God damn,'" inappropriate sexual references," "the book's language and [the] portrayal of a former minister who recounts how he took advantage of a young woman."

Ulysses by James Joyce. Burned in America in 1918.

Beloved by Toni Morrison. Violence, language, "inappropriate topics" of racism and sex.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding. "It implies that man is little more than an animal," profanity, sex.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Profanity, "takes God's name in vain 15 times and uses Jesus' name lightly," "vulgar and offensive," and because the author "is known to have an anti-business attitude." Sexual overtones, cursing, and "does not represent traditional values."

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. "Makes promiscuous sex look like fun," language, "moral content," "negative activity." A parent complained that "its characters showed contempt for religion, marriage, and family. Sexuality, drugs, suicide.

Animal Farm by George Orwell. Political theories.

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner. Abortion, profanity, sex, questions the existence of God.

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston. Sexual explicitness, language.

Native Son by Richard Wright. Violence, sex, profanity.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey. "Glorifies criminal activity, has a tendency to corrupt juveniles." 

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut. "Contains and makes references to religious matters." Violence, sex, obscene language, "promotes deviant sexual behavior."

For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway. Declared non-mailable by the US Post Office in 1940. 

Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin. Profanity, sex, rape, violence.

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien. Burned in 2001 along with other Tolkien novels as "satanic."

A Separate Peace by John Knowles. "Offensive language."

Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, The Color Purple by Toni Morrison, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, and Heather Has Two Mommies by Leslea Newman. "Material that recognizes or promotes homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle," suggests that homosexuality is natural.

Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. "References to witchcraft and atheism," swearing.

Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford. The 1987 version shows a side portion of a female breast in a cartoon picture.

Little Red Riding Hood by The Brothers Grimm. Red had wine in her basket on the trip to Grandma's house.

The Diary of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. "Too depressing," and "it's a downer."