Banned Books

 What is Book Banning and What Kinds of Banning Exist?

In the discussion of book banning, it is essential to understand the meaning and significant effects caused by this practice. The act of banning or challenging books, which is discussed historically in our post, Banned Books: A Tale As Old As Time (link to text), has emerged as a longstanding practice in our society that labels reading materials as offensive, primarily on religious, moral, or political grounds. In the list of banned books, you will find these labels commonly employed; however, there has also been a rise in the banning of reading materials that contain sexual content. Aliprandini and Sprague note that reading materials viewed as a threat to public welfare are removed, which raises the question of whether we genuinely utilise this practice in a beneficial manner. While totalitarian societies ban books that they assert to promote political instability or immorality, today’s society advocates freedom of both speech and writing, yet books continue to be labelled as offensive for various reasons.

Whether writing about some subjects, such as sex, is offensive and should result in a ban is a question we then need to answer, also the consequences of people missing out on books that contain specific subjects and views, or perhaps not. Rarely does a book get entirely banned in a country; most likely, the book will be banned in some school district or library, and you will be able to get your hands on the banned book in the bookshop downtown. There are different kinds of bans, and before you take a look at the list of banned books or perhaps you have seen a video of someone claiming that a book is banned in your country yet you have it on your bookshelf, we are going to explain and clarify these kinds of bans. 

• Challenged books: These are books that have been through a process of removing or restricting materials. This is usually done by censorship and changing words in a book to make it less offensive, such as Fahrenheit 451 Bal-Hi edition, which censored swear words and changed ‘drunk man’ to ‘sick man’ to make it suitable for high school students. The American Library Association writes, ‘Books usually are challenged with the best intentions - to protect others, frequently children, from difficult ideas and information’. 

• Shadow/silent book ban: Reading materials that disappear from shelves without an official reason put against them. However, it could also be in the form of putting them on higher shelves, libraries stopping the purchase of certain books to, for instance, avoid backlash, or partially limiting access to some books by imposing age restrictions. 

• School book ban: Access to these books is diminished/restricted; meanwhile, the freedom to read them becomes limited within the school district, in which books are not allowed to be read or used for educational purposes. However, school book bans are often a result of parents or community members raising concerns about the content of a book, or it is an administrative decision made by those in charge. 

• Library book bans: Similar to school book bans, library book bans diminish access to these books by not having them in the library. These books are not allowed to be loaned or read there. 

• A ‘real’ book ban: A book ban has many definitions. Pen America describes a book ban as ‘The removal or restriction of those materials’; However, the last definition of book ban that has not yet been mentioned is a ‘real’ book ban, in which you are prohibited to own the book and have no access to it in your country, for example No Enemies, No Hatred is entirely banned in China, therefore, has a ‘real’ book ban.  

Sources:

- https://pen.org/report/beyond-the-shelves/

- https://www.ala.org/bbooks/aboutbannedbooks 

- Aliprandini, M. & Sprague, C. (2024). Banning Books: Overview. ‘Points of View’.

Note: If a date is not explicitly written or mentioned about the book being unbanned, it is currently banned. 

Book cover	Title, Author & Year of Publication	Reasons for being banned	Banned/censored in what countries
	1984 (1949) by George Orwell	Pro-communist Contains explicit sexual matter Social and political themes such as censorship and privacy Nationalism Sexual repression	Banned in some schools in the United States Cuba It was banned in the Soviet Union until 1988
	George (2015) by Alex Gino	Religious viewpoint Controversial issues LGBTQIA+	States in the United States Kansas decided not to include this novel in district libraries
	The Glass Castle (2005) by Jeannette Walls	Offensive language Sexually explicit Racist explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Tropic of Cancer (1934) by Henry Miller	Sexual exploits as an expatriate in France Sadomasochistic sex Prostitution Statutory rape Obscene	United States Canada  Banned in Australia until the 1970s
	Gender Queer: A Memoir (2019) by Maia Kobabe	LGBTQIA+ content Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (2007) by Sherman Alexie	Profanity  Sexually explicit Violence Gambling Underage drinking Religious viewpoints Racism	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Florida
	Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding	Profanity Pro-slavery ideology Lurid passages about sex Racial slurs Excessive violence Defamatory to minorities, God, women and the disabled	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Anarchist Cookbook (1969) by William Powell	Promotes and instructs in matters of crime and violence	Australia
	Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (1997) by J.K Rowling	Promotes witchcraft and occult (perceived as inappropriate for children) Some religious groups argue that the magic that is portrayed is contrary to their beliefs such as it being un-Islamic.  Violence  Dark tone	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States The United Arab Emirates
	No Enemies, No Hatred (2011) by Liu Xiaobo	The phrase ‘empty chair’ caused the Chinese authorities to ban it immediately.  This collection of essays and poems is about peacefully defending human rights in China (causing the ban).	China (all of the author’s books are banned)
	Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck	Racist Epithets and slurs Depressing themes Profanity and Vulgarity   Offensive Language Having homosexual undertones Unsuitable for young children	This novel has often been the target of censorship and bans in countries such as Ireland and the United States.
	Lolita (1955) by Vladimir Nabokov	The subject and plot of the book: a paedophile’s lust and sexual attraction to a 12-year-old girl.  Obscene	Argentina United Kingdom South Africa New Zealand  France Canada
	To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee	Unsuitable for young readers Racism, ex. uses the n-word Portrays white supremacy Sexuality  Political reasons	One of the most banned and challenged books in the United State South Africa (in the 1960s but not banned now)
	One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1962) by Ken Kesey	It confronts social and political issues Being pornographic Glorifies criminal activity, ex. corrupt juveniles, dismemberment, death, violence  Descriptions of bestiality	America: The attempts have lasted decades in the United States, and since the 2000s, the novel has become one of the most commonly banned books.
	The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J.D. Salinger	Portrayal of authority figures The protagonist’s rebellious demeanour and questioning of Asian societies Offensive language Accused of being racist, misogynist, ableist and blasphemous	the most censored book in high schools and libraries in places such as the United States  East Asia
	The Satanic Verses (1988) by Salman Rushdie	Two passages were specifically triggering:  the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad as a false prophet and that the angel Gabriel had delivered the incorrect verses of the Quran blasphemous references The author was accused of misusing the freedom of speech	(This received a significant amount of backlash and protests from Muslims worldwide.) Western Asia, ex. India  Middle East South Africa
	A Lesson Before Dying (1993) by Ernest J. Gaines	Sex Violence Profanity	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	All Boys Aren’t Blue  by George M. Johnson	LGBTQIA+ content Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Lawn Boy (2018) by Jonathan Evison	LGBTQIA+ content Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Perks of Being a Wallflower (1999) by Stephen Chbosky	Sexual abuse LGBTQIA+ Drug/alcohol/smoking use Profanity  Anti-family	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Bluest Eye (1970) by Toni Morrison	Sexual abuse EDI content Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	This Book is Gay (2014) by Juno Dawson	LGBTQIA+ content Providing sexual education Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Complete Persepolis (2000) by Marjane Satrapi	Gambling Profanity  Political viewpoints Said to be “politically, racially and socially offensive” Graphic depictions	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States Iran Was banned in Lebanon (but is now removed)
	The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003) by Mark Haddon	Profanity Religious viewpoints Atheism	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry	Sexual content Violence  Drug usage Infanticide Suicide Euthanasia	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The God of Small Things (1997) by Arundhati Roy	Explicit sexual content and themes relating to sexuality, ex. incestuous relationship Depiction of Hindu and Christian sex Obscenity Moral impropriety Caste discrimination	South and Southeast Asia
	The Golden Compass (1995) by Philip Pullman	Religious viewpoints	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) by Margaret Atwood	Profanity Vulgarity and sexual overtones Discusses feminism and extremism	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas	Profanity  Violence, ex. police violence Promote an anti-police message Indoctrination of  a social agenda	Banned and challenged in some school districts and libraries in the United States
	The Kite Runner (2003) by Khaled Hosseini	Sexual violence  Thought to lead to terrorism and promote Islam	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	The Poet X (2018) by Elizabeth Acevedo	Claims to violate the freedom of religion because the teenage protagonist questions the Catholic faith Deals with issues around race and sexuality	Banned in some states in the United States
	The Things They Carried (1990) by Tim O’Brien	Sexual content Profanity Violence Drug use Depictions of war-time, death and cruelty	Banned in some states in the United States
	Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937) by Zora Neale Hurston	Sexual abuse Violence Objectification of women  Obscenity	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Thirteen Reasons Why (2007) by Jay Asher	Addresses teen suicide	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Maus (1986) by Art Spiegelman	Details the horrors of the Nazi invasion and Holocaust Profanity  Suicide Nazi propaganda Nudity The whitewashing of historical events	Banned in some states in the United States Russia
	American Psycho (1991) by Bret Easton Ellis	Depiction of torture and murder Rape Cannibalism Necrophilia	Australia
	Mein Kampf (1925) Adolf Hitler	Banned to limit Hitler’s influence	Banned in several European governments, ex. Austria, Germany and The Netherlands
	Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884) by Mark Twain	Racist language, ex. the use of the N-word Unethical  Offensive language Caused protests	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States The n-word was censured and changed to the word slave in the United States
	And Tango Makes Three (2005) by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell	Homosexual content like homosexual parenting	Banned and challenged in some school districts and libraries in the United States Singapore Hong Kong
	A Feast for the Seaweeds (1983) by Haidar Haidar	Gender equality Liberalism Dictatorship in the Arab world Accusations of blasphemy  Defamation of Islamic values	Egypt Syria
	Dhundi (2013) by Yogesh Master	Contained materials against the god Ganesha	India
	Five Cities That Ruled the World by Douglas Wilson	Accused of blasphemy	Indonesia
	The Dark  by John McGahern	Indecent or obscene	It was banned in Ireland (but lifted in 1972)
	The Great Gatsby (1925) by F. Scott Fitzgerald	References to drugs sexual language The amount of partying depicted in the book  The nature of Gatsby’s and Daisy’s relationship  profanity	the most censored book in high schools and libraries in places such as the United States
	Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley	Sexual content Promiscuity  Anti-religious/atheistic beliefs Anti-family Drug-use Profanity Suicide	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States Ireland  Australia India
	Ulysses (1922) by James Joyce	Sexual explicity, ex. The main character pleasured himself Graphic depiction of bodily functions Obscene Blasphemy Expresses coarse and barbaric thoughts Unfit for public reading	It was officially banned in England in 1929 It was banned in Canada and the United States because of the mass burning of the novel
	The Color Purple (1982)  by Alice Walker	Offensive language Sexually explicit Unsuited for certain age groups	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Florida
	I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (1969) by Maya Angelou	Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Alabama and Washington
	Nineteen Minutes (2007)  by Jodi Picoult	Referring to rape Offensive description Depiction of nudity, sexual conduct, sexual excitement Sadomasochistic abuse  Excretion	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1865) + Looking Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll	Expletives and alluded to masturbating and other sexual fantasies Diminished in the eyes of children about the statues of certain authority figures Endowing animals with human language Religious reasons	China
	Water for Elephants (2006) by Sara Gruen	Sexual content Violence Extensive use of swear words	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. New Hampshire
	Flamer (2020) by Mike Curato	LGBTQIA+ content Sexually explicit	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Texas
	A Court of Thorns and Roses series (2015-2021) by Sarah J. Maas	Sexual explicit content Portrayals of mature relationship dynamics Promotes witchcraft with violence and moral ambiguity	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States
	Leaves of Grass (1855) by Walt Whitman	Sexual references Homoeroticism Obscene	The United States: Banned in Boston - booksellers agreed to not sell nor advertise the book Banned from libraries across the United States
	Looking for Alaska (2005) by John Green	Sexually explicit content Offensive language Usage of drugs, alcohol and smoking Normalising dishonesty and hazing	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Tennessee
	Sold (2006) by Patricia McCormick	Sexually explicit content, ex. rape	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Texas
	The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) by Anne Frank	The description of puberty, ex. describing the changes Anne Frank notices in her body Graphic passages Sexual violence in the matter of torture during the war Description of the horrors of the Holocaust Portray Jews in a too-favourable light	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United States, ex. Virginia Lebanon
	Jane Eyre (1847) by Charlotte Bronte	Socially corrupting the youth during the Cultural Revolution	China
	Mr. President (1946) by Miguel Ángel Asturias	Theme about political dictatorship (drawn from real-life presidents)	Central America
	Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell	Is not pro-Castroism Criticise and satirist depiction of communism	Caribbean: Cuba It was banned in the Soviet Union and other communist countries
	July’s People (2001) by Nadine Gordimer	Racist Sexist Not uplifting	Africa: banned from the school system
	Persepolis (2000) by Marjane Satrapi	Portrayal of sex Depicts the events of the Iranian Revolution, ex. graphic panels that show dissidents being tortured by the Iranian government	Countries such as Iran and the United States
	The Woman Surnamed Liu (2011) by Zhang Yihe	Showing the reality of the torture happening in the Chinese imprisonment	China (It was quickly banned after its release)
	Dream of Ding Village (2006) by Yan Lianke	Banned for portraying the Chinese government as responsible for the spread of AIDS in Chinese villages	China (The book was banned after three days on the market by the Chinese government)
	Castration of the Wind (1984) by Prvoslav VuJČiĆ	It criticised the communist government of Yugoslavia	Was banned in the former Federal Socialist Republic of Yugoslavia (later republished in Serbia in 2005)
	Spycatcher (1987) by Peter Wright	Revealed government secrets (UK)	The United Kingdom tried to stop the publishing in the country but failed, and the book was published in Australia
	You Can’t Be Too Careful (1941) by H.G. Wells	Criticised the catholic church Mention of the bombing of the city of Guernica in 1937 (Franco was the one who initiated the bombing)	Spain under the Franco regime
	A Short History of the World (1922) by H.G. Wells	Socialistic tendencies Criticise the Catholic Church Criticise the Spanish Civil War	Spain under the Franco regime
	Shanghai Baby (1999) by Wei Hui	Usage of drugs Being unethical	China
	Short Skirt (1998) by Christina Wahldén	Rape Contains explicit sexual matter Not suitable for a younger audience	Banned and challenged in some school districts in Sweden ex. Hammarö
	A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo (2018) by Jull Twiss & Eg Keller	LGBTQIA+ content Having a political orientation Joked about the then-vice president being homophobic	The United States
	Lord of the Rings  Trilogy (1954-1955) by J.R.R Tolkien	satanism Accused of being against Christianity  The use of magic and supernatural	Banned in some states in the United States, for example. New Mexico
	Drama (2012) by Raina Telgemeier	LGBTQIA+ content	Banned and challenged in some school districts  and libraries in the United states
	This One Summer (2014) by Mariko Tamaki & Jillian Tamaki	The usage of drugs  Sexual explicit Use of swearwords LGBTQIA+ content	Banned and challenged in some school districts  and libraries in the United states
	A Little Life: A Novel (2015) By Hanya Yanagihara	substance abuse sexual assault  depression rape and incest depiction of paedophiles and child sexual assault	Banned and challenged in some school districts  and libraries in the United states
	Getting Married (1884) by August Strindberg	Accusations of blasphemy	Sweden (The book was banned after four days on the market.)
	The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo By Taylor Jenkins Reid	LGBTQIA+ Content	Banned in Florida
	A Bad Boy Can Be Good For A Girl (2006) by Tanya Lee Stone	Sexual depiction Usage of drugs, alcohol and smoking Nudity	Banned in some places in the United States
	Goosebumps series (1992-1997) by R.L. Stine	Violent and scary content	Banned in some states in the United States
	What My Mother Doesn’t Know (2001) by Sonya Sones	Sexual depiction Controversial	Banned in some states in the United States
	It’s a Book (2010) by Lane Smith	Because the last word in the novel is “jackass”	Banned and challenged in some school districts  in the United States
	The Shades of Magic series (2015-2017) by V.E Schwab	LGBTQIA+ content: Homosexual propaganda	Russia
	Eleanor & Park (2012) by Rainbow Rowell	The frequent use of swearwords	Banned in some places in the United States
	Zanan-e Bedun-e Mardan / Women without Men (1989) by Shahrnush Parsipur	Disturbing content Rape, failed marriage, virginity  Prostitution Didn’t follow Islamic values  Propaganda for promiscuity	Iran (the author was imprisoned for more than a month twice, and all the books written by the author were banned in the country)
	Rights of Man (1791) by Thomas Paine	Showed support towards the French Revolution	The United Kingdom
	Heartstopper (2016) by Alice Oseman	LGBTQIA+ content: Homosexual propaganda	Banned and challenged in some libraries in the United States, ex. Wyoming Hungary Turkey (only allowed to be sold in a brown envelope with the following text: “Dangerous for children”)
	Death Note (2004-2020) by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata	Banned to protect the students' physical and mental health	Banned in some school districts  in Shenyang, China (in 2015, banned by the then Ministry of Culture)
	The Country Girls Trilogy (1960-1964) by Edna O’Brien	Goes against the conservative norms, ex. female sexuality	Ireland (the first book in the series was burned in protest)
	Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle (1969) by Vladimir Nabokov	Having explicit and controversial content, ex. incest	South Africa Argentina  Turkey France
	The Song of the Red Ruby (1956) by Agnar Mykle	Depicted sex	Norway
	White Torture (2021) by Narges Mohammadi	Depiction of life in an Iranian prison	Iran
	Candy (2000) by Mian Mian	Said to be harmful for the soul	China
	The Veil and The Male Elite - A Feminist Interpretation of Women’s Rights in Islam (1987) by Fatema Mernissi	Misrepresented Islam	Marocko
	Red, White & Royal Blue (2019) by Casey McQuiston	LGBTQIA+ content: The romantic partners are homosexual Depiction of sexual activity	Banned and challenged in some school districts and libraries in the United states
	The Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London	Violence	Banned and challenged in some school districts and libraries in the United States
	Piccolo Blu E Piccolo Giallo/Little blue and little yellow (1959) by Leo Lionni	Contained subjects that were better to be talked about at home than in schools	Banned and challenged in some school districts in Venice, Italy
	Two Boys Kissing (2013) by David Levithan	LGBTQIA+ content: Depicting homosexual teenagers kissing each other	Banned and challenged in some school districts in the United states, ex. Utah Russia
	Tianamen Square (2024) by Lai Wen	Raise awareness and depict the student-led demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square, which  killed a number of people	China
	Babel (2023) by R.F. Kuang	The author talks openly about the political taboo in China, for example. her father’s involvement in the demonstrations held in Tiananmen Square	China (not allowed to be nominated nor win the Hugo Award)
	Fifty Shades of Grey (2011) by E.L. James	Sexual content, ex. pornographic and sadistic scenes	Banned in some places in the United States Brazil Malaysia
	The Pearl Cannon (1947) by Sadeq Hedayat	Criticise religion, tyranny, monarchy, and superstitions in Iran	Iran
	The Boys (2006-2012) by Garth Ennis & Derrick Robertson	Violence Sexual explicit content	Qatar Banned in some libraries in Queensland, Australia
	Tailor and Ansty (1942) by Eric Cross	Depiction of premarital sex and general openness about sex	Ireland
	The Hunger Games (2008) by Suzanne Collins	Depiction of violence Critic against traditional family values	Banned and challenged in some school districts and libraries in the United States
	Bien Trop Petit (2022) by Manu Causse	Pornographic content sold to minors	France
	The Rebel (1951) by Albert Camus	banned due to the subject that is touched upon in the book	Banned in Poland between 1976 and 1989
	Abba Abba (1977) by Anthony Burgess	Banned due to the discussion about God	South Africa
	Bad Kitty (2005) by Nick Bruel	Bad influence on children The use of swear words	Banned in some places in the United States
	Uten en Tråd (1966) by Jens BjØrneboe	Depiction of sex	Norway
	Vagánybagoly és a harmadik á, avagy mindenki lehet más (2019) by Zsófia Bán	Spread information about homosexuality and gender affirming surgery in children	Hungary
	The Eleven Thousand Rods (1907) by Guillaume Apollinaire	Obsence  Hurt people’s feelings	Turkey
	Voices of Utopia (1985 & 2013) by Svetlana Aleksijevitj	Labelled as extremist literature	Belarus