Top 10 list of banned books
This entry was posted on 8/31/2007 3:43 PM and is filed under Top 10 list.
Peoples fear of the
written word has resulted in the banning of books, being kept from
library shelves, or burned and scorched till turned to dust. The truth
will always reveal itself though. The hypocrisy that may exist from
those most fearful of words and the spaces between them should know the
truth always reveals itself in time. The following list is a mere
sample of books that have been banned over time. Sad but true.
“[I]t's not just the books under fire now that worry me. It is the
books that will never be written. The books that will never be read.
And all due to the fear of censorship. As always, young readers will be
the real losers.”
---- Judy Blume
1. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.
Banned in China (1931) for portraying animals and humans on the same
level, "Animals should not use human language."
2. The Call of the Wild by Jack London. Banned in Italy (1929), Yugoslavia (1929), and burned in Nazi bonfires (1932).
3. The Diary Of Anne Frank by Anne Frank. Its hard to believe a
book as important as this one, that chronicles a young girls
harrowing ordeal was challenged in areas of the United States, due to
"sexually offensive" passages and dark subject matter.
4. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling. As successful as this
series has become, banning was advocated mainly in the United States by
Christian fundamentalists because of its references to witchcraft.
There have been several incidents of Harry Potter books being burned,
instigated by Christian fundamentalist groups
5.. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Banned in some Islamic
countries and in India for blasphemy against Islam. Mr. Rushdie also
had a death warrant for many years. And this was against speaking out
against Islam.
6.. The Art Of Love by Ovid. This was burned in Florence in 1497. The author was also banished from Rome by Augustus.
7. The Adventures Of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. This classic piece
of literature was banned from the children's section of the Brooklyn,
New York public library in 1876, as well as the Colorado public
library that same year. Some libraries in the USA banned the book
over objections to the "questionable character" of the main character
and racism.
8. On The Origin Of Species by Charles B. Darwin. Harvard Univ.
Pr.; Macmillan; Modern Library; NAL; Morton; Penguin; Rowman; Ungar.
Banned from Trinity College in Cambridge, UK (1859); Yugoslavia (1935);
Greece (1937). The teaching of evolution was prohibited in Tennessee
from 1925-1967. The creationists and Intelligent Design folks are
always fighting it.
9. Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare. Airmont; Cambridge Univ.
Pr.; Methuen; NAL; Penguin; Pocket Bks.; Washington Square. Removed
from a Merrimack, N.H. high school English class (1996) because of a
policy that bans instruction which has "the effect of encouraging or
supporting homosexuality as a positive lifestyle alternative."
10. The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. This powerful book has been challenged numerous times despite being on Oprah’s book club in
2000. Apparently, the subject of racism and child molestation is
too potent a subject. To keep such a book from schools
and libraries across the U.S is more of a concern.
