Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut

in

Vonnegut month continues with a tale of man machines and the library has a story about a machine who tried to assimilate a man for reasons.

Banned

1995 - Illinois - Challenged at Monmouth School District library as "pornographic trash"

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

in

A banned book unstuck in time and how the library kept its forest despite mutant dogs. #godwearspants or #godalmightypees

Banned

1972 - Michigan - Rochester banned for containing and making reference to "religious matters"

1973 - North Dakota - Challenged at many communities, but burned in Drake

1975 - New York - Banned in Levittown

1979 - Ohio - Banned in North Jackson

1982 - Florida - Banned in Lakeland for "explicit sexual scenes, violence, and obscene language."

1984 - Wisconsin - Barred for purchase in Rancine by an administrative assistant for instructional services

1985 - Kentucky - Challenged in Owensboro for language a secont with an image depicting beastiality, a reference to Magic Fingers on a bed, and the line "The gun made a ripping sound like the opening of the fly of God Almighty."

1986 - Wisconsin - Restricted in Racine to parental permission at the flour Racine Unified District high schools for "language, depictions of torture, ethnic slurs, and negative portrayals of women."

1987

Georgia - challenged in Fitzgerald for profanity and sexual reference

Kentucky - challenged in LaRue County for language and "deviant sexual behavior"

1988 - Louisiana - challenged in a Baton Rouge high school library as "vulgar and offensive"

1989 - Michigan - challenged in Monroe high schools for language and portrayal of women

1996 - Texas - challenged in Round Rock high school for being too violent

1998 - Virginia - banned in Prince William County high schools for profanity and sex

2000 - Rhode Island - Removed from Coventry high school reading list after a parent complained of language, violence and sex

2006 - Illinois - A school board member in Arlington Heights, elected on a platform to bring Christian values to board decision making, raised a controversy about several books based on excerpts of the books she found on the Internet

2007 - Michigan - Challenged in Livingston County at Howell High School for strong sexual content by the organization Livingston Organization for Values in Education (LOVE). LOVE asked law enforcement to review the book for distributing sexually explicit conduct to minors. The county prosecutor said the book was not criminally liable, containing content of an artistic, literary, or political nature.

2010 - Missouri - Removed and later returned from Republic high schools, available only to parents. Teachers cannot acquire or read aloud from it. A resident said it taught principles contrary to the Bible.

Source

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

in
Their Eyes Were Watching God
By Zora Neale Hurston

We hear about a hallmark of African-American literature and a road trip into the wilds of Texas our librarian once took.

Banned

1997 - Virginia - Challenged for sexual explicitness, but retained on the Stonewall Jackson High School's academically advanced reading list in Brentsville. A parent objected to the novel's language and sexual explicitness.

Resources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

in
A Raisin in the Sun
By Lorraine Hansberry

A play of a family trying to find their way in the world and a few characters from fiction who died and caused the stories to happen.

Banned

1979 - Utah - The Ogden School District restricted circulation of the play after responding to criticism from an anti-pornography group

2004 - Illinois - Challenged as degrading to African Americans at Normal Community High School but retained

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

in
Invisible Man
By Ralph Ellison

Ralph Ellison's groundbreaking story about a boy becoming a man is discussed in part and we go into characters in fiction that have no name.

Banned

1975

Pennsylvania - Excerpts banned in Butler

Wisconsin - Removed from high school reading list in St. Francis

1994 - Washington - Retained the Yakima schools after two parents raised concerns about language, violence, and sex.

2013 - North Carolina - Challenged but retained at Randolph County high school libraries for language.

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

in
Lord of the Flies
By William Golding

Our humanity is building the hope that we are better than we are.

Banned

1974 - Texas - Challenged at the Dallas Independent School District HIgh School libraries.

1981

North Carolina - Challenged at the Owen High School for "demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal."

South Dakota - Challenged at the Sully Buttes High School.

1983 - Arizona - Challenged at the Marana High School as inappropriate.

1984 - Texas - Challenged at the Olney Independent School District for "excessive violence and bad language."

1988 - Toronto, Ontario, Canada 0 Board of Education ruled on June 23, 1988 that the novel is "racist and recommended that it be removed from all schools." Parents and members of the black community complained about a reference to "niggers" in the book and said it denigrates blacks.

1992 - Iowa - Challenged in the Waterloo schools for profanity, passages about sex, and defamatory statements about minorities, God, women, and the disabled.

2000 - New York - Challenged but retained in Bloomfield on the ninth grade English reading list.

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Animal Farm by George Orwell

in
Animal Farm
By George Orwell

Today we learn about the classic tale of animal rights and a few more books that were meant for adults but given to children.

Banned

1965 - Wisconsin - A Wisconsin survey revealed that the John Birch Society had challenged the novel's use, objecting to the words "masses will revolt."

1968 - New York - The New York State English Council's Committee on Defenses Against Censorship surveyed English classrooms where it was identified as a "problem book" with the reason that "Orwell was a communist."

1977 - Russia - Suppressed from being displayed at the Moscow International Book Fair.

1982 - Georgia - Objected to for it's political theories in DeKalb County during a survey period of 1979 to 1982

1987 - Florida - Banned from Bay County's middle and high schools in Panama City by the Bay County school superintendent. Forty-four parents filed a suit against the district claiming that the instructional aids policy denied constitutional rights and the book was reinstated along with sixty-four other books.

2002 - United Arab Emirates - Banned from schools along with 125 other books. The Ministry of Education banned it on the grounds that it contained written or illustrated material that contradicts Islamic and Arab values, including pictures of alcoholic drinks, pigs, and "indecent images."

Sources

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

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) by George Orwell

in
1984 (Signet Classics)
By George Orwell

The story of man who feels all is not right with the world. Then he finds out how wrong the world really is.

Banned

  • 1950 - Banned and burned in communist Russia under Stalin and USSR, ownership meant possible arrest for its anti-communist views. Allowed back in country after editing in 1990.
  • 1981 - Jackson County, Florida - challenged for being pro-communist and contained “explicit sexual content.”
  • Wrenshall, Minnesota - teacher was fired for refusing to remove it from reading list (unconfirmed)
  • 2009-10 - Amazon deleted it and Animal Farm from users kindles sparking controversy. Amazon found that the “copies” deleted had been published illegally from an independent publisher that had ignored copyright laws (1984 is under copyright until 2020) and the money spent was refunded. This was more of a recall to protect copyright than a ban or censorship case.
  • 2017 - Idaho - book is under scrutiny after being challenged by a Jefferson County parent for having "violent, sexually charged language."

Sources

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

Bodkin, Devin. "JEFFERSON COUNTY ADMINISTRATORS CONSIDER BANNING CLASSIC NOVEL." Idaho Ed News. Retrieved September 26, 2017 from https://www.idahoednews.org/news/jefferson-county-administrators-consider-banning-classic-novel/ 

"Dances and Dames" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

in
Brave New World
By Aldous Huxley

Welcome to the world that is brave and new with drugs and violence! What's gonna happen?

Banned

1932 - Ireland - banned in the country

1980 - Missouri - Removed from Miller classroom

1988 - Oklahoma - Challenged as required reading at Yukon High School because "the book's language and moral content"

1993 - Challenged as required reading in Corona and Norco Unified School District for being "centered around negative activity." Book retained and alternatives offered.

2000 - Alabama - Removed from Foley High School library after a parent complained to the school and Alabama Governor Don Siegelman characters showed contempt of religion, marriage, and family.

2003 - Texas - Challenged but retained in South Texas Independent School District in Mercedes for sexuality, drugs, suicide. Principals were then required to offer alternatives

2008 - Indiana - Challenged but retained in Coeur D'Alene School district for sex and drug use.

2010 - Maryland - Challenged in Glen Burnie at North County High School by a petition created by a group of parents who wanted the book removed due to sexual content.

2011 - Washington - Challenged but retained after a parent complained the book has a "high volume of racially offensive derogatory language and misinformation on Native Americans. In addition to the inaccurate imagery, and stereotype views, the text lacks literary value which is relevant to today's contemporary multicultural society."

Sources

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

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

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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/