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List of books banned by governments

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Many societies have banned certain books. This is a partial list of books which have been banned.

Various scriptures have been banned (and sometimes burned) at several points in history. The Bible, the Qur'an, and other religious scriptures have all been subjected to censorship and have been banned in various cities and countries. In Medieval Europe, the Roman Catholic Church created a program that lasted until 1966 to deal with dissenting printed opinion; it was called the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (index of prohibited books). Over the years many books based on the scriptures have also been banned, such as Leo Tolstoy's The Kingdom of God is Within You, which was banned in Russia for being anti-establishment.

Books deemed critical of the state or its interests are another common target for banning.

Books that deal with criminal matter have also been subjected to censorship. Small-press titles that have become infamous by being banned include The Anarchist Cookbook, E for Ecstasy, and Hit Man.

In the four-volume series Banned Books published by FactsOnFile in 1998, the volumes were divided by grounds for banning: political, religious, sexual and social. The first three are often cited together as taboo in polite conversation.

Notably, children's books that deal with death or other teenage angst or various crimes often find themselves banned perhaps because of parental worries about teenage suicide or copycat crimes. Many publications are targeted on the premise that children would be corrupted by reading them. This fear led to the creation of the Comics Code Authority in 1954.

This literature-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it. Adding new entries should be based on reliable sources.

List of Banned Books


A

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
A Child Called It David J. Pelzer Autobiography Banned in public schools because of its content and child abuse
America (The Book) Jon Stewart and writers of The Daily Show Poltical Satire Removed from Wal-Mart and public libraries in Mississippi for the nude pictures in Chapter 5.
The Age of Reason Thomas Paine Philosophical Treatise Banned in UK for blasphemy in the 18th Century
All Quiet on the Western Front Erich Maria Remarque Anti-war Novel Banned in Nazi Germany for demoralizing and insulting the Wehrmacht.
The Anarchist Cookbook William Powell (author) Guide Book Banned in some countries outside of the US[citation needed] because of security reasons. Sale of the book is prohibited to any one under 21 in some areas.
Animal Farm George Orwell Political Novella Publication delayed in UK because of anti-Stalin theme. Confiscated in Germany by Allied troops. Banned in 1946 in Yugoslavia.[citation needed]
Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Mark Twain Novel Banned in some US schools for use of racial slurs.

B

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Bible Various Authors Religious Text Many translations of The Bible were banned by the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in the Catholic Church.

Banned in Saudi Arabia for not being of the Muslim faith.

Biko Donald Woods Biography Banned in South Africa for its criticism of the apartheid system and white government.
Black Beauty Anna Sewell Novel Was banned in South Africa because of the use of the word 'black' in the title.[1]
Beautiful Retard Matthew Hansen Novel Banned in some US states because of its offensive title.
The Blue Lotus Hergé Graphic Novel Banned in China for its pro-Kuomintang view and support.
The Book of One Thousand and One Nights Collection Banned in many primarily Muslim countries.

C

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Call of the Wild Jack London Novel Banned in Yugoslavia, Italy, and burned in Nazi bonfires.
Candide Voltaire Novel Seized by US Customs in 1930 for obscenity.[2]
Catcher in the Rye J.D. Salinger Novel Banned in various US public schools and libraries for sexual situations, immorality and other themes of impropriety[3]
The Chocolate War Robert Cormier Novel Challenged several times for sexual content and profanity.
Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau Essay Removed from US libraries during McCarthyism. Banned in South Africa
The Communist Manifesto Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels Economic Treatise Banned in anti-Communist countries and the US during the Red Scare. Challenged in libraries for political reasons.

D

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Da Vinci Code Dan Brown Religious Novel Banned in Malaysia as being offensive towards Christians.
Doctor Zhivago Boris Pasternak Novel Banned within the USSR until 1988 for its criticism of the Bolshevik Party.

E

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Eve's Diary Mark Twain Novel Banned by a library in Charlton, Massachusetts for its illustrations of an unclothed Eve.

F

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Flowers for Algernon Daniel Keyes Novel Banned in the school boards of Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada as well as Calgary, Alberta, Canada for situations involving sex and alcohol consumption.
For Whom the Bell Tolls Ernest Hemingway Novel Banned in Spain during Francisco Franco's rule for its pro-Republican views.
Fahrenheit 451 Ray Bradbury Novel Banned in some US public schools for socialist themes and profanity.

H

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Housekeeper's Diary Wendy Berry Memoir Not published in Britain due to its violation of confidentiality agreements signed by the author.
Hatchet Gary Paulsen Novel Banned in some school libraries in the US for detailed injuries, a plane crash, and a heart attack.
Harry Potter J.K. Rowling Novel Banned in some school libraries in the US for use of witchcraft and supposedly Satanic views.[4]
Helter Skelter Vincent Bugliosi True Crime Challenged by members of the Manson family.

I

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
If I Did It O. J. Simpson True Crime Publication cancelled because of public outrage.
ISLAM - A Concept of Political World Invasion by Muslims RV Bhasin Political Novel Banned by the Govt. of Maharashtra, India, in view that the book antagonizes Islamists. The author currently (2007) has sought the Court's intervention in this matter.

J

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Journal of Current Pictorial Chinese Alliance Manhua Banned by China's Qing government for spreading anti-Qing propaganda.

K

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The King Never Smiles Paul M. Handley Biography Banned in Thailand for its criticism of King Bhumibol Adulyadej[5]
The Kingdom of God Is Within You Leo Tolstoy Religious Treatise Banned in Czarist Russia for its Christian anarchist content.

L

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Last Temptation of Christ Nikos Kazantzakis Religous Novel Banned for blasphemy and its potrayl of Jesus.
Lady Chatterley's Lover D. H. Lawrence Novel Temporarily banned in the United States and UK for violation of obscenity laws. Banned in Australia.
Lolita Vladimir Nabokov Novel Banned in Iran and Saudi Arabia for its content of pedophilia.
The Lorax Dr. Seuss Children's Book Banned in parts of the US for being an allegorical political commentary.

M

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Malay Dilemma Mahathir bin Mohamad Political ideology Banned in Malaysia for its criticism of UMNO and the May 13th Incident.
The Manchurian Candidate Richard Condon Political Novel Banned in Communist states[citation needed] for political reason. Condemned by the American Legion.
Mein Kampf Adolf Hitler Political ideology Possession and sale for historical reasons is legal in Germany, Austria and the Netherlands. Only reproduction is forbidden due to copyrights (held by Bavarian state).
Mephisto Klaus Mann Political Novel / Satire In 1968, Gustaf Gründgens' adopted son Peter Gorski sued Nymphenburger Verlagsbuchhandlung, then the publisher of Mephisto in West Germany. The Federal Constitutional Court of Germany ruled that Gründgens' personal freedom (Article 2 of the Basic Law) was more important than the freedom of art (Article 5).
Mick Harte Was Here Barbara Park Novel Banned in some school libraries for language, the prescience{ perhaps presence} of a ghost, and a bike accident.
The Mountain Wreath Petar II Petrović Njegoš Drama in verse Banned in Bosnia schools by Carlos Westendorp[6].

N

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Nineteen Eighty-Four George Orwell Sci-Fi/Dystopian Novel Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Accused of anti-semitism. Challenged in Florida for pro communist and sexual theme.
Notre ami le roi Gilles Perrault Biography of Hassan II of Morocco Banned in Morocco for political reasons. [1]

O

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Novel Banned in the USSR for political reasons. Author was sent into exile.
Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck Novel Banned by some schools and libraries in the United states for promoting "euthanasia" and use of profanity from May 1983 to May 1984, and also in 1993 and 1994. This book is no longer banned.

P

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Peaceful Pill Handbook Philip Nitschke and Fiona Stewart Instructional manual on euthanasia Banned in Australia for political reasons.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower Stephen Chbosky Novel Banned by certain school districts for depictions of adolescent sexuality and drug use.
Perfidy Ben Hecht Historical Novel Banned by certain Jewish Federation and Zionist libraries because of its poor depiction of the Zionist response to the holocaust.

Q

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Quotations from Chairman Mao Zedong Mao Zedong Collection Banned in South Vietnam and anti-Communist nations in Asia.

R

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Rights of Man Thomas Paine Political Banned in the UK and Author charged with treason for supporting the French Revolution.[7]. Banned in Czarist Russia after the Decembrist revolt.

S

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Stone Angel Margaret Laurence Novel Banned in Canada for blasphemy.
The Satanic Verses Salman Rushdie Novel Banned in India, Singapore,[8] and Muslim nations for blasphemy. Book stores refuse to sell it out of fear. Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie.
Speak Laurie Halse Anderson Novel Banned in many middle schools and high schools because of the rape of the protagonist, Melinda Sordino and some mention of self-harm.
Stupid White Men Michael Moore Political Critic Publication was delayed because of the 9/11 attacks.

T

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
The Turner Diaries William Luther Pierce Novel Book stores and libraries refuse to distribute it because of its racist theme. [9] Banned in Germany for its Nazi ideolgy theme and Pierce leadership in the American Nazi Party. Blamed for a number of hate crimes inspired by the novel including the Oklahoma City bombing. [10]
The Tropic of Cancer Henry Miller Novel (fictionalized memoir) Banned in the US in the 1930's until the early 1960s, seized by US customs for sexually explicit content and vulgarity. The rest of Miller's work was also banned by the United States. [11] Also banned in South Africa until the late 1980s.

U

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Ulysses James Joyce Novel Challenged and temporarily banned in the US for its sexual content. Ban overturned in United States v. One Book Called Ulysses.
Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe Novel Banned in the Southern States and Czarist Russia. Challenged by the NAACP for its racist portrayal of African Americans and the use of the word "Nigger". [12]
United States-Vietnam Relations: 1945-1967 Robert McNamara and the United States Department of Defense Goverment Study President Nixon attempted to suspend publication of classified information. See: New York Times Co. v. United States
Understanding Islam through Hadis Ram Swarup Philosophical Treatise Banned in India under 153A and 295A of the Indian Penal Code. [13]

W

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
We Yevgeny Zamyatin Sci-Fi Novel Banned in the USSR for political reasons.
The Wealth of Nations Adam Smith Economic Treatise Banned in the UK and France for criticizing Mercantilism. Banned in communist nations for its capitalist content.[14]
The Well of Loneliness Radclyffe Hall Novel Banned in the UK in 1928 for its lesbian theme, republished in 1949.[15]
What my Mother Doesn't Know Sonya Sones Novel Banned in some school libraries for use of sexual content.
Wild Swans Jung Chang Novel Banned in China for political reasons.
Winds of Change Reza Pahlavi Political Science Banned in Iran for political reasons.

Z

Title Author Type of Literature Reason
Zweites Buch Adolf Hitler Transcript Possession and sale is illegal in Germany and Austria because of Nazi content. [16]

See also

References

  1. ^ library.dixie.edu
  2. ^ http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html
  3. ^ http://www.euronet.nl/users/los/censorhistory.html
  4. ^ library.dixie.edu
  5. ^ Warrick-Alexander, James (February 06, 2006). Thailand Bars Univ. Website. Yale Daily News.
  6. ^ New World Order's Inquisition in Bosnia
  7. ^ http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/banned-books.html
  8. ^ "Singapore Won't Allow Publication of Prophet Cartoons". Bloomberg.com. 2006-02-10. Retrieved 2007-06-14. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ [www.adl.org/learn/ext_us/Turner_Diaries.asp Extremism in America]
  10. ^ 'Turner Diaries' introduced in McVeigh trial
  11. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4489463/
  12. ^ Stowe Debate
  13. ^ Understanding Islam through Hadis
  14. ^ An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations
  15. ^ Smith, David (2005-01-02). "Lesbian novel was 'danger to nation'". The Observer. Retrieved 2006-10-09. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ Anti-Nazi Laws
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