Banned Books

Published in 1937, John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men has been frequently banned on social grounds. The book has been called "offensive" and "vulgar" because of the language and characterization. Each of the characters in Of Mice and Men are affected by physical, emotional, or mental limitations. In the end, the American Dream is not enough. One of the most controversial topics in the book is euthanasia.

Published in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter was censored on sexual grounds. The book has been challenged under claims that it is "pornographic and obscene." The story centers around Hester Prynne, an young Puritan woman with an illegitimate child. Hester is ostracized and marked with the scarlet letter, "A." Because of her illicit affair, and the resulting child, the book has been controversial.

Song of Solomon is a novel by Toni Morrison (Nobel laureate in literature). The book has been controversial on social and sexual grounds. References to African Americans have been controversial; also a parent in Georgia claimed it was "filthy and inappropriate." Variously, Song of Solomon has been called "filth," "trash," and "repulsive."

To Kill a Mockingbird is the only novel by Harper Lee. The book has been frequently banned and challenged on sexual and social grounds. Not only does the novel discuss racial issues in the South, but the book involves a white attorney (Atticus Finch) defending a black man against rape charges (and all that such a defense entails). The central character is a young girl (Scout Finch) in a coming of age story--fraught with social and psychological issues.

Published in 1918, James Joyce's Ulysses was banned on sexual grounds. Leopold Bloom sees a woman on the seashore, and his actions during that event have been considered controversial. Also, Bloom thinks about his wife's affair, as he walks through Dublin, Ireland on a famous day (we now know it as Bloomsday). In 1922, 500 copies of the book were burned by the United States Department of the Post Office.

Published in 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin was controversial. When President Lincoln saw Stowe, he purportedly said, "So you're the little woman who wrote the book that made this great war." The novel has been been banned for language concerns, as well as on social grounds. The book has been controversial for its portrayal of African Americans.

A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle, is a mix of science fiction and fantasy. It's the first of a series of books, which include: A Wind in the Door, A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and Many Waters. This award-winning book is a bestselling classic, which has also stirred up more than its fair share of controversy. The book is on the Most Challenged Books of 1990-2000 book list--based on claims of offensive language and religiously objectionable content (for references to crystal balls, demons and witches).