Library: Banned Books: Frequently Banned Books

Online Resources

Banned Children's Book

George by Alex Gino
Call Number: Fic G434g
ISBN: 9780545812542
Date: 2015
Reason: LGBTQIA+ content and a transgender character; because schools and libraries should not “put books in a child’s hand that require discussion”; for sexual references; and for conflicting with a religious viewpoint and “traditional family structure”

Most Commonly Banned Books

Some books have been repeatedly banned or challenged throughout history. This is a list of books that appear the most often on banned books lists. Many of these books are available through the Jack C. Taylor Library. Click on the book for more information!

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
Call Number: PR6029.R8 N49 1992
ISBN: 0679417397
Reason: pro-communism ideas, sexuality
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Call Number: PS1305 .A1 1996
ISBN: 0679448896
Reason: racism
The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Call Number: PS3573.A425 C6 1992b
ISBN: 0151191549
Reasons: offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for certain age groups
It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris; Michael Emberley (Illustrator)
Call Number: PS3511.I9 G7 1995
ISBN: 9781536207200
Date: 2021-05-18
Reasons: reference sexual health, anatomy
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Call Number: PS3551.N464 Z466 2002
ISBN: 0375507892
Reason: sexually explicit
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
Call Number: PS3537.T3234 O2 2002
ISBN: 0142000671
Reasons: offensive language, racism, violence
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Call Number: PS3562.E353 T6 2006
ISBN: 0061205699
Reasons: offensive language; racism

Banned Classic

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell; Julian Symons (Introduction by)
Call Number: PR6029.R8 N49 1992
ISBN: 9780679417392
Date: Written in 1949
Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thought crimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...

A startling and haunting novel, 1984 creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

Sources

"100 Banned Books Series: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey." Textual Details. N.p., 9 July 2013. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Banned and Challenged Books the Who, What, When, Where and Why." Delete Censorship. N.p., 2006. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Banned Books That Shaped America." Banned Books Week. Banned Books Week, n.d. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.

Doyle, Robert P. "Books Challenged or Banned in 2008-2009." American Library Association. N.p., May 2008. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.

"Frequently Challenged Books of the 21st Century." Banned and Challenged Books. American Library Association, n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014.

Kelly, Melissa. "Top 10 Banned Books." About.com Secondary Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Feb. 2014.