Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

in

The tale of men of simple pleasures and simple times meeting on hard ways. Also being frozen.

Banned

1953 - Banned in Ireland

1974 - Indiana - Banned in Syracuse

1977

Pennsylvania - Banned in Oil City

South Carolina - Challenged in Greenville by the Fourth Province of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan

1979 - Michigan - Challenged but retained in Grand Blanc schools after being called "vulgar and blasphemous"

1980

New York - Challenged in Vernon-Verona-Sherill School District

Ohio - Challenged in Continental

1981 - Arizona - Challenged in Saint David

1982 - Indiana - Challenged in Tell City for "profanity and using God's name in vain"

1983 - Alabama - Banned from classroom use at Scottsboro Skyline HIgh School for profanity

1984 - Tennessee - The Knoxville School Board chairman vowed to have "filthy books" removed from Knoxville's public schools and picked this book as the first target for it's profanity

1987 - Kentucky - Reinstated at the Christian County school libraries and English classes after being challenged for being vulgar and offensive

1988

Illinois - Challenged at the Wheaton-Warrenville Middle school

Michigan - Challenged at the Barrien Springs High School for profanity

West Virginia - Challenged in the Marion County schools

1989

Alabama - Removed from the Northside High School in Tuscaloosa because the book blasphemed

Arkansas - Removed from the White Chapel High School in Pine Bluff after objections from language

Tennessee

Challenged as a summer youth program reading assignment in Chattanooga because 'Steinbeck's known to have an anti-business attitude" as well as "being very questionable about his patriotism"

Challenged in Shelby County schools for offensive language

1990

Kansas - Challenged but retained in Salina tenth-grade English class for profanity and taking "the Lord's name in vain"

Texas - Challenged in the Riviera schools for profanity

1991

California - Challenged by a Fresno parent for profanity and racial slurs but retained and the child given an alternate assignment

Florida - Removed and later returned to the Suwannee High School library for being indecent

Pennsylvania - Challenged as curriculum material at the Ringgold High School in Carroll Township because the novel contained racial slurs

Tennessee - Challenged at the Jacksboro High School because the novel contains blasphemous language, excessive cursing, and sexual overtones

Virginia - Challenged as required reading in the Buckingham County schools for profanity

1992

Alabama - A coalition of community members and clergy in Mobile requested local school officials form a special textbook screening committee. This book was the first target for profanity and "morbid and depressing themes"

California - Challenged at Modesto High school for offensive and racist language

Florida - Challenged in the Duval County public school libraries for profanity, lurid passages about sex, statements defamatory to minorities, God, women, and the disabled.

Iowa - Challenged at the Waterloo schools

Louisiana - Challenged at the Oak Hill High School in Alexandria for profanity

Ohio - Temporarily removed from Hamilton High School after a parent complained about its vulgarity and racial slurs

1993 - Arizona - Challenged at Mingus Union High School because of "profane language, moral statement, treatment of the retarded, and the violent ending"

1994

Georgia - Challenged at the Loganville High School for language

Tennessee - Pulled from a classroom by Putnam County superintendent for language and later reinstated

1995

Georgia - Challenged at the Stephen County Highs School library in Toccoa Falls for language

Kansas - Challenged at Galena school library for language and social implications

Minnesota - Retained at Bemidji schools after challenges to the book's questionable langauge

Virginia - Challenged but retained in Warm Springs High School

1997

Florida - Removed, restored, restricted and eventually retained at the Bay County school in Panama City. A citizen group, 100 Black United, Inc, requested the novel's removal and "any other inadmissible literary books that have racial slurs in them, such as using of the word 'n****r.'"

Illinois - Banned from Washington Junior High School in Peru for being age inappropriate.

Minnesota - Challenged but retained at the Sauk Rapids-Rice High School in St. Cloud after a parent complained of racist language lead to racist behavior and harrassment

Ohio - Challenged but retained in the Louisville high school English class for profanity

1998

Arizona - Challenged but retained in teh Bryan t school library because a parent complained the book "takes God's name in vain fifteen time and uses Jesus's name lightly."

California - Challenged in O'Hara Park Middle School in Oakley for racial epithets

Wisconsin - Challenged at the Barron School District

1999

Pennsylvania - Challenged but retained at West Middlesex High School despite objections to profanity

Wisconsin - Challenged at the Tomah School District for violence and language

2002

Michigan - Challenged in Grandville for racism, profanity and foul language

Mississippi - Banned from George County schools for profanity

2003 - Illinois - Challenged at Normal Community High School  "racial slurs, profanity, violence, and does not represent traditional values." Steinbeck's The Pearl was offered as an alternative, but the family also rejected.

2006 - Pennsylvania - Retained in the Greencastle-Antrim 10th grade English classes after a complaint was filed for "racial slurs" and profanity. 

2007

Iowa - Challenged at the Newton High School for profanity and portrayal of Jesus Christ. 

Kansas - parent challenge in Olathe calling it "worthless, profanity-riddled" and "derogatory towards African Americans, women, and the developmentally disabled."

2014

Minnesota - Challenged but retained in the Brainerd School District despite complaints from two parents who objected to "Jesus Christ" as a curse word, the use of racial slurs for African Americans, and the term "Japs." They argued the book undermined the values of respect they were trying to teach.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. 2014.

Guardian, Marshall University Library

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"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's So Amazing by Robie H Harris and Michael Emberley

in

A book about eggs, sperm, birth, babies, families, spawning, tearing free the burden of your own existential horror, and making yourself irrelevant through reproduction.

Banned

2002 - Texas - Residents of Montgomery County, Texas, wanted the books banned from the local public library system. Montgomery County Library Director, Jerilynn Adams Williams, fought the measure for three months before both books were finally allowed to return to the shelves. Williams won the 2003 PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award for her efforts.

2003 - Florida - Relocated from the young adult to the adult section of the Fort Bend County Libraries in Richmond. The same title was recently moved to the restricted section of the Fort Bend School District's media centers after a resident sent an e-mail message to the superintendent expressing concern about the book's content. The Spirit of Freedom Republican Women's Club petitioned the superintendent to have it, along with It's Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health, moved because they contain "frontal nudity and discussion of homosexual relationship and abortion."

2005

Arkansas - Restricted, but later returned to general circulation shelves with some limits on student access, based on a review committee's recommendations, at the Holt Middle School parent library in Fayetteville, Ark. (2005) despite a parent's complaint that it was sexually explicit.

Wisconsin - Relocated to the reference section of the Northern Hills Elementary school media center in Onalaska, Wis. (2005) because a parent complained about its frank yet kid-friendly discussion of reproduction topics, including sexual intercourse, masturbation, abortion, and homosexuality."

#37 ALA's Most Banned Books 2000-2009

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's Perfectly Normal by Robie H. Harris and Michael Emberley

in ,

Learn about your body and sexy times in this week's episode.

Banned

1996

Pennsylvania - Challenged at Chester County Library because the book it prompted kids to begin desiring sex and "a clear example of child pornography"

Utah - Challenged at Provo Library for discussions of sex, masturbation, and homosexuality

Washington - Removed from Clover Park School District because parents claimed it was too graphic and "could foster more questions than it answers"

1997

Missouri - Challenged but retained at Mexico-Audrain County Library by a Baptist minister who complained about the title and it's discussion of sex, death, and birth.

North Dakota - Challenged but retained at the Fargo Public Library as "explicit, pornographic, and too easily accessible to children"

1999 - California - Challenged but retained at the Auburn-Placer County Public Library for being sexually explicit

2000 - Massachusettes - Challenged at Holland Public Library due to sexually explicit content and moved from children's to adults section

2001

Alaska - Restricted to elementary school kids with parental permission in Anchorage due to values and because "marriage is mentioned once in the whole book, while homosexual relationships are allocated an entire section"

Florida - Challenged at Marion County Public Library for being pornographic

2002 - Texas - Challenged, but retained, in Montgomery County library system after the Republican Leadership Council characterized the book as "vulgar" and trying to "minimize or even negate that homosexuality is a problem".

2003 - Texas - Moved from the young adult to the adult section of the Fort Bend County Libraries in Richmond. Also moved to the restricted section of the Fort Bend School Districts media centers after a resident complained via email about the book's content.

2005 - Arkansas - Challenged, but retained at the Holt Middle School library in Fayetteville despite a parent's complaint that it was sexually explicit.

2008 - Maine - A Lewiston patron refused to return the book to the Lewiston and Auburn public libraries because she was "sufficiently horrified by the illustrations and sexually graphic, amoral, abnormal contents." A police investigation found the library did not violate the town ordinance against obscenity and the patron will stand trial for theft.

2011 - Florida - Challenged, but retained at the Lee County libraries despite the book's explicit illustrations.

2015 - Missouri - Challenged as an e-book at the Francis Howell middle school libraries in St. Charles because of cartoon nudity.

2016 - Oregon - Rainer parents complained after books used by 6th grade class were left out in view of 4th graders. ""Inappropriate human development and sexuality books were disseminated to students who had library. Procedures have been put into place to make sure this doesn't happen again. All questionable books have been pulled from library shelves." - school's principal

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Forever... by Judy Blume

in

Young love finds itself in a boring story banned so many times it should have its own shelf in the library.

Banned

1982

Orlando, Florida

Park Hill Jr. High School, Missouri for promoting "the stranglehold of humanism on life in America"

Scranton, PA - challenged for language, "masturbation, birth control, and disobedience to parents"

1983

Akron, Ohio - challenged in school libraries

Howard-Suamico High School, Wisconsin - "it demoralizes marital sex."

1984

Cedar Rapids, Iowa - "pornography and explores areas God didn't intend to explore outside of marriage"

Holdrege, Nebraska - challenged and moved to the adult section at the public library for being "pornographic and does not promote the sanctity of life, family life."

1986

Patrick County, Virginia - placed on restricted shelf

Campbell County, Wyoming - challenged in school libraries as pornography and that it would encourage children "to experiment with sexual encounters."

1987

Moreno Valley, California - challenged at school libraries for profanity, sex, and thems that encourage disrespectful behavior

Eliot, Minnesota - challenged at a classroom library for not casting "a responsible role of parents," that the teens of today are not as sex-minded as the characters, and being pornography, creating a bad role model.

1988 - West Hernando Middle School, Florida - school principal recommended it be removed from school library as inappropriate

1992 - Herrin Junior High School, Illinois - placed on reserve to be checked out with parental permission for being "sexually provocative reading."

1993

Schaumburg, Illinois - removed from Frost Junior High School library because "it's basically a sexual 'how-to-do' book for junior high students. It glamorizes [sex] and puts ideas in their heads."

Rib Lake, Wisconsin - Superintendent found the book "sexually explicit" and filed a "request for reconsideration." The book was confiscated by the principal after being placed on the "parental permission shelf." A guidance councilor spoke out against the principal's actions, his contract was not renewed in retaliation, and a federal jury awarded him $394,560.

1994 - Mediapolis School District, Wisconsin - Removed from school libraries for not promoting abstinence or monogamy, and "lacks any aesthetic, literary, or social value." Returned a month later accessible to high school students.

1995

Gainesville, Florida - removed after a science teacher objected to the sexual content and reference to marijuana

Muncie, Indiana - moved to restricted section of high school library requiring written parental permission.

1996 - Wilton School District, Iowa - challenged for sexual content

1997 - Elgin School District U46, Illinois - banned from middle school libraries for sex. Decision upheld in 1999 and returned to shelves in 2002.

2006 - Fayetteville, Arkansas - Challenged in the Fayetteville Middle and Junior High School libraries along with more than 50 other titles as being too sexually explicit and promoting homosexuality.

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Book: Challenging Our Freedom to Read.

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/