The Witches by Roald Dahl
When a young boy meets up with some witches, he might be losing his damn mind. Roald Dahl, you so crazy!
Banned
#22 ALA Banned List, 1990-199
perceived misogyny. Dahl says that witches can only be women. "I do not wish to speak badly about women," the author writes. "Most women are lovely. But the fact remains that all witches are women. There is no such thing as a male witch. On the other hand, a ghoul is always a male... both are dangerous. But neither of them is half as dangerous as a REAL WITCH."
"the children misbehave and take retribution on the adults and there's never, ever a consequence for their actions"
Devalues the life of a child
1987 - Amana, Iowa for being “too sophisticated and did not teach moral values”
1989 - Billings, Montana attempt was made wherein Dahl commented the parents had no sense of humor
1990 - Goose Lake, Iowa for violence, mouse turning, and the word “slut”
1991 - Dallas, Oregon for possiblity of turning kids to witchcraft or the occult
1992
Escondido, California for fear of desensitizing kids to violence and increasing the interest in witchcraft
La Mesa-Spring Valley, California for depiction of witches as ordinary women that children cannot defend against and promoting Wiccan and witchcraft
1993
Spenser, Wisconsin for desensitizing children to crimes related to witchcraft
Pennsylvania - Challenged at Pine Forge Elementary School in Boyertown area
1994 - Challenged but retained in Battle Creek, Michigan despite a parent claiming it is “satanic.”
1995 - Stafford, Virginia for “crude language” and encouraging children to be disobediant
1997 - Wichita Falls, Texas for satanic themes
1998 - Dublin, Ohio - “derogatory to children, hurtful to self-esteem, and conflicted with the the [challenger’s] family’s religious and moral beliefs.”
Sources:
Karolides, Nicholas J. et al. 120 Banned Books: Censorship Histories of World Literature. Checkmark Books, 1997. pg 314-320.
Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. American Library Association, 2014. pg 145.
"Dances and Dames"
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0