What is this, the Middle Ages

[snapdragon76]

I read an article earlier today and it really outraged me. It's a list of books that were banned by a number of libraries due to subject matter. Some... I kinda understand a little. Others, however, make no sense whatsoever or they're banned for stupid reasons.

I decided to list them all (at least the ones listed in the article) and you can see for yourselves.



Too Political:

1. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, 1852
2. All Quiet On The Western Front by Erich Marie Remarque, 1928
3. A Farewell To Arms by Ernest Hemingway, 1929
4. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, 1939
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway, 1040
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell, 1945
7. 1984 by George Orwell, 1949
8. Doctor Zhivago by Boris Pasternak, 1957
9. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, 1969
10. In The Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen, 1983

Too Much Sex:

1. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, 1856
2. Tess of the d'Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy, 1891 -- we read this when I was in High School
3. Ulysses by James Joyce, 1922
4. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1926
5. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence, 1928
6. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller, 1934
7. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955 -- this one I can sorta understand a bit
8. Peyton Place by Grace Metalious, 1956
9. Rabbit, Run by John Updike, 1960
10. I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou, 1969
11. Jaws by Peter Benchley, 1974 -- Really?! Jaws as too sexual?!?!
12. Forever by Judy Blume, 1975
13. The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy, 1986
14. Beloved by Toni Morrison, 1987
15. How The Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, 1991 -- ok, I admit. Never heard of this one.

Irreligious:

1. On The Origin of Species by Charles Darwin, 1859
2. The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R.Tolkien, 1954 -- W.T.F?!?!
3. The Last Temptation of Christ by Nikos Kazantzakis, 1960
4. Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolofo Anaya, 1972
5. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling, 1997-2007 -- I know there was tons of debate about this series since the beginning...

Socially Offensive

1. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin, 1791
2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorn, 1850
3. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, 1884 -- there's been a lot of debate about this book as well
4. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, 1930
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, 1932
6. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, 1936
7. Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, 1937
8. Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank, 1947 -- now this one surprises me. I LOVED this book when I was younger and I still do. To ban it because it portrays the Nazis as "bad" is asinine.
9. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger, 1951
10. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, 1953 -- the irony of banning a book about banning books is not lost on me whatsoever...
11. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, 1960 -- one I think everyone should read. You'll never find a braver man than Atticus Finch nowadays.
12. James and The Giant Peach by Roald Dahl, 1961 -- WHAT?! This makes no sense at all!! Why would you ban this one?!?!
13. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, 1961
14. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, 1962 -- true, not one little kids should read, but still... excellent social commentary if there ever was one.
15. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey, 1962
16. In Cold Blood by Truman Capote, 1966 -- this used to be REQUIRED READING in school!!
17. Cujo by Stephen King, 1981 -- I can think of a lot of books of his that some would question, but this one?!
18. The Color Purple by Alice Walker, 1982 -- very intense subject matter, but still utterly emotional and moving
19. Ordinary People by Judith Guest, 1982
20. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley, 1991



I know a lot of these have very intense subject matter and situations and language that one might not want younger kids to read until they are older, but to ban them entirely from adult and older teens reading them is pure censorship if there ever was one. almost all of them are classics and should be read at least once in a lifetime due to the history and the quality. They wouldn't have been around as long as they have if they didn't.

God forbid you have people actually THINK about certain things!! Society will burn in flames at the very idea!!!

Thoughts anyone?

Comments

[earthstar-moon.livejournal.com]

*blinks* Anne Frank's diary was banned? SERIOUSLY?! I remember reading that book in school (grade school I might add) and it's such a clear example of how horrible war and genocide is. And what the heck is wrong with James and the Giant Peach?

Good grief. I wish people would stop thinking they need to shelter young adults from learning about these kind of subjects. They're going to learn about at some point. Isn't it better when they can learn about while they can discuss about it with their parents?

[snapdragon76.livejournal.com]

I don't understand it either. There are a number of these books that I love and to have them banned from PUBLIC LIBRARIES is absurd! I can understand not wanting young children to read stuff like Lolita (at least until they're old enough to understand) I can understand, but to ban them from a place where even adults wouldn't be able to read them is nothing but censorship.

I'd like to try to find a more comprehensive list somewhere along with more detail explanations at to why they were 'offensive'.