Added by tersanay on 26 Sep 2010 01:35

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Banned and Challenged Books

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Rating: List Type:

Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)

Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary)... - Merriam-Webster

Contains sexually explicit words and definitions including Oral sex.

... - .

Violent, lewd, sexually explicit and containing infanticide and euthanasia.

tersanay's rating:

103

7.8

Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

Sexuality, situations of suicidal thoughts in teens, and gritty teenage situations

tersanay's rating:

Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman

6.9

Captain Underpants and the Wrath of the Wicked Wedgie Woman... - Dav Pilkey

Anti-family and authority content as well as being unsuitable for it's age group.

7.4

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Paterson

It has been challenged or banned because of the disrespect the children show to adults, the confusion of combining fantasy with reality, and profanity.

179

7.9

A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle

For occult ideas and acts.

tersanay's rating:

Harry Potter Adult Edition Boxed Set (Contains all 7 books in the series)

Harry Potter Adult Edition Boxed Set (Contains all 7 books in the series)... - J. K. Rowling

The most common reason cited is its use of witchcraft and the fear that fantasy and reality could become confused for children. However, some challenges have arisen over the violence it portrays.

603

7.9

Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

Ironically considering the content, it has been banned for socialist ideas and profanity.

tersanay's rating:

818

To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

Profanity and racial slurs.

tersanay's rating:

398

7.5

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

Use of the "N" word.

418

7.7

Of Mice And Men - John Steinbeck

Use of the Lord's name in vain along with the use of racial slurs, profanity and supposedly supporting euthanasia.

tersanay's rating:

1041

8.3

1984 - George Orwell

For supposedly supporting communism and sexuality.

729

8.1

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley

In Baxley, Georgia, the school board banned Brave New World - along with John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men and Richard Wright's Native Son based on a local church minister's objection to the texts, despite parents' and teachers' approval of the book.

tersanay's rating:

8.4

The Color Purple - Alice Walker

Explicit sexuality, profanity, violence, and use of drugs.

6.7

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings - Maya Angelou

Vulgar language, sexual explicitness, and violent imagery.

523

8.3

Slaughterhouse-Five - Kurt Vonnegut

Profanity, violence, and explicit sexuality.

568

7.4

Lord of the Flies - William Golding

Profanity, sexuality, racial slurs and excessive violence.

815

7.8

The Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger

Profanity, suicide, and prostitution.

tersanay's rating:

Scary Stories Boxed Set - Alvin Schwartz

The Chocolate War - Robert Cormier

7.3

Go Ask Alice - Anonymous

123

8.3

The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

tersanay's rating:

"Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education."
-- Alfred Whitney Griswold, Essays on Education

However, these are the books commonly taught in middle and High School that often are challenged or banned for various reasons. They aren't really in any order, but I did put the ones that were most shocking to me towards the top. I haven't put any on here that I don't know very much about but will add more as I read them.