Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
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
