Friday, May 30, 2008

10 Classic Books That Have Been Banned

Mental Floss, one of my favorite sites to visit daily, has a list of 10 Classic Books That Have Been Banned, including where and why. My only quibble is whether a book published 15 years ago (The Giver by Lois Lowry and the only one on the list that I haven't read yet) should be considered a "classic." Of course some might say the same about a kid's book like The Lorax, but there's no doubt that anything by Dr. Seuss qualifies as a classic. Here's the list:

1. The Call of the Wild by Jack London was banned in Yugoslavia and Italy and was burned by Nazis.
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was banned in many places across the U.S., but was particularly banned in California because the book depicted the state badly.
3. The Lorax by Dr. Seuss has been banned across the U.S. for it’s allegorical political commentary.
4. Ulysses by James Joyce was banned for sexual content. The ban was overturned in a court case called the United States vs. One Book Called Ulysses.
5. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque was banned in Nazi Germany for insulting the Wehrmacht.
6. Animal Farm by George Orwell was delayed in the U.K. because of its anti-Stalin theme. It was confiscated in Germany by Allied troops, banned in Yugoslavia in 1946, banned in Kenya in 1991 and banned in the United Arab Emirates in 2002.
7. As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner was banned in Kentucky because it was "anti-Christian" and contained bad language.
8. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell was banned in South Africa in 1955 for using the world "Black" in the title.
9. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger was banned in lots of places across the U.S. because the character exhibited "inappropriate" behavior, plus bad language and sexual content.
10. The Giver by Lois Lowry was banned in a few states including California and Kentucky for addressing issues such as euthanasia.

1 comment:

AnnMarie said...

The Grapes of Wrath what??? Idiots

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