Friday, October 5, 2012

The Most Surprising Banned Books...so far

Ever wonder what the most surprising Banned Books have been through the years? Well, the Huffington Post published a list below of the Top 11 most surprising Banned Books so far.

1. The Dictionary (both Miriam Webster & the American Heritage Dictionaries)
The definition for "oral sex" is not age appropriate

2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

Obscenity and painted the country in a negative light

3. Sylvester & the Magic Pebble by William Steig 

Portrays policemen as pigs
 

4. Beloved and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison 
Obscene language and gratuitous violence in many parts of the country
 

5. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. 
Author had the same name as an obscure Marxist theorist and no one checked to see if they were the same person

6. James & the Giant Peach and The Witches by Roald Dahl 
James & the Giant Peach - obscenity and violence; The Witches - sexism and devaluing the life of a child

7. The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank
Sexually explicit and homosexual themes
 

8. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 
Most speculate it's because the strongest woman character marries a boring and much older man
 

9. A Farewell to Arms and For Whom the Bell Tolls by Ernest Hemingway 
A Farewell to Arms - sexual content; For Whom the Bell Tolls - seen as pro-communist
 

10. A Light in the Attic by Shel Silverstein 
Promotes disrespect, horror, and violence
 

11. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Concerns about making a religious argument exposed to kids

1 comment:

Lisa B. said...

Many of these books are favorites of mine.