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/

Blubber by Judy Blume

in
Blubber
By Judy Blume

Bullies abound in Judy Blume's Blubber and on our top ten list of the best bullies in literature.

 

Banned

#43 on Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

1980 - Maryland - Removed from Montgomery County elementary schools

1981 - Arizona - Banned temporarily from Sunizona

1983

Iowa - Challenged in Des Moines schools for "objectionable" subject matter

Ohio - Challenged at Xenia school libraries for undermining "authority since the word 'bitch' is used in connection with a teacher

Texas - Challenged at Smith Elementary School in Del Valle for the words "damn" and "bitch" and showed children cruelly teasing a classmate

1984

Illinois - Banned but later restricted to parental permission at Peoria School District libraries for sexual content. language, and lack of social and literary value

New Jersey - Restricted at Lindenwold elementary school libraries for language

Pennsylvania - Removed from Hanover School District elementary and secondary libraries but later placed on "restricted shelf" at middle school libraries for being "indecent and inappropriate"

Wyoming - Challenged at the Casper school libraries

1985 - Montana - Challenged as profane, immoral and offensive but retained at Bozeman school libraries

1986 - Wisconsin - Challenged at Muskego Elementary school for language and "taunting (of an overweight girl) is never punished for her cruelty"

1991 - Ohio - Challenged at the Perry Township elementry school libraries because "bad is never punished. Good never comes to the fore. Evil is triumphant"

1998 - Alabama - Banned in Clements High School in Athens for language, but was later reversed

1999 - Texas - Removed from an elementary school in Arlington because educators objected to "verbal, physical, and sexual abuse of student upon student"

Sources

Doyle, Robert P. Banned Books: Challenging Our Freedom to Read. "Blume, Judy - Blubber." 2014

Ala Top 100 Banned/Challenged 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/

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/

Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane

in

One boy's climb from apartheid to tennis champion. 

Banned

1993

California - Challenged at Amador High School in Sutter Creek

New Jersey - Challenged at Manasquan schools for a brief yet graphic homosexual passage

1996

Connecticut - Challenged at Lewis S. Mills High School in Burlington for brutal and graphic language

North Carolina - Temporarily pulled from Greensboro high school libraries after a resident sent letters to the school board and administrators, claiming the book could encourage sexual assault among children

1997 - California - Challenged but retained on a reading list for high school sophomores at Lincoln Unified School District in Stockton after parents referred to it as "pornographic and racially insensitive"

1999 - Ohio - Removed from Federal Hocking High School English in Athens for sexually graphic passage

2000

California - Removed from a sophomore reading list at Armijo High School in Fairfield for sexual content

Michigan - Kearsley school officials deleted six sentences describing a homosexual molestation scene in the book after parents found it offensive

2006 - California - Challenged but retained at East Union High School in Manteca after challenged for use of words such as "penis" and "anus" during a scene where young boys prostitute themselves for food

2007 - California - Banned from Burlingame Intermediate School

2010 - California - Challenged but retained in San Luis Obispo High School.

#39 on the ALA Top Banned Books 2000-2009

Sources

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

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or RSS Feed

Help support the podcast on Patreon

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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

Arming America by Michael Bellasiles

in

A discredited book that means little in terms of banned books.

Banned

38 on Top 100 from 2000-2009

No listed or found specific instance

Sources

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

Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music

Help support the podcast on Patreon

"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

Subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play Music, or RSS Feed

Help support the podcast on Patreon

"Dances and Dames"

Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

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