Why was (insert book here) banned/challenged?

[Kelson]

One of the most controversial books, I can think of that was banned is Naked Lunch by William Burroughs. (I am sorry if it has come up in the club before but I did not see it.) Burroughs also wrote, Junky & Queer. I have a compilation called Naked Junky Queer. (Imagine some of the looks I get from people perusing my bookshelves.) I am not a junky. I am not gay. Personally, I don't care who is--I view that as someone asking me about my sexual proclivities--and, presently, I am not naked either. Presently. The book was banned for obsenity, child murder & pedaphelia. The whole gestalt of the book, however, is that there is no cohesive narrative. (I have argued this with people that have a Masters of Eng Lit.) But it doesn't. Burroughs has so much as said (as well as a Heroine addict of 60+ years can) that it is simply intended to elicit raw emotion. Is there value in that? YOU DECIDE. No one else should for you. Reading the book makes one sexually aroused one paragraph and physically nauseated the next. That is the whole point but people just didn't seem to get that.

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

Are you saying that West Bengal has a separate government from India as a whole? It must be really hard to live under such a controlling regime.

[Brooke]

I am writing a term paper about the censorship and controversy surrounding The Catcher in the Rye. Do any of you guys know of any good articles/books detailing the controversy?

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

If you do a search on Google, you'll find these but I'm a sucker for a kid asking for help with research:

http://world.edu/banned-book-awarenes...
http://crosscut.com/2010/03/19/books/...
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/fea...
http://www.levity.com/corduroy/saling...

It's important to understand the book at some point during your reading/evaluation of it. I hated it and I think it would have helped if I'd known more before I read it instead of after.

[Ruby]

West Bengal had a communist regime?????

[[deleted user]]

Why was Cut by Patricia McCormick challenged? I can kind of understand it, but parents can't shelter their kids from reality forever.

[Audrey]

Xox wrote: " Gundula : By calling Christians insulting names etc., Xox is acting just like those who want to ban books. This is a forum for thoughtful discussion, not name-calling.

Wrong. I'm against the ide..."

Actually, the Bible is one of the most frequently challenged books. Who do you think is trying to ban that one? I seriously doubt it's the radical Christians.

[Ken]

Our group read for this month... "Call of the Wild" , why was this ever banned or challenged?

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

Hi Kenneth! The book was banned/challenged for being "politically dangerous." I try to put the reason in the description. Keep asking if I've forgotten one.

[Memizuki]

Recently read "Justine" by Marquis de Sade, where the word sadism originated. I also believe that this book might have been banned in Islamic countries.. because well of the horrific plight of Justine.

As a side note. Flaubert (Madam Bovary) was a huge fan of de Sade.

[Shannon]

Why certain books are banned is something I explore at length in my banned books blog. Here's a summary of reasons behind many book bans if you're interested.

http://boundandgaggedbooks.wordpress....

[QNPoohBear, Minister of the Unapproved Written Word]

Q. Why?
A.

1. "Critical race theory" i.e. racism, sexism, bullying of "other" and anything they think will make their kid hate America even if that wasn't the author's intent.
Also anything social justice related

Example New Kid
entire donations of books from publishers
entire lists of books mainly about people of color

See also anything with strong female characters/biographies of amazing women.

2. Violence
See also witchcraft/fantasy
See also mental health

3. The #1 current reason is s-e-x-ually explicitly content
Primarily about LGBTQ+ people
examples include everything from And Tango Makes Three
Worm Loves Worm
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress
Fred Gets Dressed
Daddy's Roommate
My Two Moms and Me
When Aidan Became A Brother

ONE little image can get a book banned
Sofia Valdez, Future Prez (illustration of grandfather wearing a hat with a pink triangle which is BARELY noticeable).

to
The List of Things That Will Not Change
Drama
A Home for Goddesses and Dogs
Gracefully Grayson

to
Being Jazz: My Life as a (Transgender) Teen

to
Flamer

S-e-x and violence
A ​Court of Silver Flames

Nudity is a new one. Bare bottoms? BAN!
In the Night Kitchen (still!) I have NO memory of that picture AT ALL! I had to look for it.

Where's Waldo? same

No, David!
Everyone Poops

Also
politics
science (climate change gets textbooks banned)

See Dr. Tasslyn Magnusson's Book Censorship Database
for books challenged and banned in schools
https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org...
This list doesn't include soft censorship, public libraries or bookstores but it does give you some reasons.

My burning question is what got Anne of Green Gables and Little Women bumped to middle school?!!!

[Ivonne]

My burning question is why did they ban Everywhere Babies?

[Audiophile Audrey]

I might be sharing this in the wrong thread, but leading with the almost indiscriminate title selections based on particular ideologies, to some push back from a small district within (serves 34,000 enrolled students) and a small independent film...can bring a small smile to us.

This lawmaker (or his assistant) had 850 books in sight back in 2021...the link broke down the presumed reasons, including the inconsistencies and carelessness. Almost 2,000 of 4,200+ suggested books have since been banned in the state with 4 counties accounting for 25% of the nation's bans.

https://bookriot.com/texas-book-ban-l... https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news...

Currently (updated October 2025), here's the complete list of banned books in the state:
https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/l...

Love the push back from a smaller Houston school district:
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news... and a small film being shown for a few days:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/go...

[QNPoohBear, Minister of the Unapproved Written Word]

Books are challenged for really no good reason at all these days. ooh it has a character of color! oooh teenagers swear and "do it"! ooh a picture book has illustrations of naked babies! Ooh a picture book features two moms/two dads/boys in dresses/nail polish, etc. BAN IT! Ooh a book has "sexual content", ooh they publish self-help/puberty/sex ed books for kids, climate change isn't man made, vaccines are a hoax ban any book that says otherwise, this book doesn't present two sides to the issue (yes they mean Holocaust and slavery had a positive side?), this book is about a political figure known for challenging hateful Republican policies BAN IT, ooh this book is about mental health BAN IT!

In Florida you can't teach human sexuality which includes periods, where babies come from (it's not the stork), sex ed, consent, and of course LGBTQ+ issues which is really what the law is designed to ban. In that case, librarians are removing books that deal with those subjects. There's also a long list of books the state educational commissioner wants gone.

The laws and rule changes give me whiplash. Best to follow Kelly Jensen and Book Riot's Literary Activism newsletter!

I have most of the titles memorized by now but some still leave me scratching my head wondering what's wrong or I have to play Where's Waldo to find the offensive image.

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

Ivonne wrote: "My burning question is why did they ban Everywhere Babies?"

I somehow missed this but they banned it because "In a couple of images there are two men or two women with a baby."

[QNPoohBear, Minister of the Unapproved Written Word]

Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "Ivonne wrote: "My burning question is why did they ban Everywhere Babies?"

I somehow missed this but they banned it because "In a couple of images there are two men or two women with..."

There are a few books banned and challenged for the same reason yet nowhere in the text does it actually SAY those are two moms or two dads. My cousins have cousins their own ages, my cousins' kids have cousins very close in age, my cousins' friends have kids too. Who says those two adults aren't friends or siblings or relatives? Yet the reviewers complain the books have been made "woke" with the addition of two moms and two dads and don't like it.

(see also breastfeeding babies = banned
toddlers on potties = banned)

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

Yep. It's ridiculous. They could be siblings, too.

[Ivonne]

Kelly (Maybedog) wrote: "I somehow missed this but they banned it because "In a couple of images there are two men or two women with a baby."

So, by that logic, they should ban Heidi, since the girl is raised by two women before she is turned over to her grandfather. They were Heidi's grandmother and aunt, but how do they know those others aren't relatives? Sounds like their minds are in the gutter. Just sayin'.

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

Well, I don't think gutter is the right word as being gay is not about sex but about love, but one-track-mind and negative-to-them thinking definitely.

[QNPoohBear, Minister of the Unapproved Written Word]

Ivonne wrote: "So, by that logic, they should ban Heidi, since the girl is raised by two women before she is turned over to her grandfather. They were Heidi's grandmother and aunt, but how do they know those others aren't relatives? Sounds like their minds are in the gutter. Just sayin'.

."

POSSIBLY Anne of Green Gables is on the no list because Anne is raised by an unmarried woman and there's also one scene where Diana gets drunk. It WAS on the Florida approved list. I don't think kids read Heidi anymore but if the text says grandmother and aunt and the committees review it, that should be OK.

Sometimes there's no reason given for the removal of the book or just state law. Librarians are erring on the side of caution. Schools can't afford lawsuits. and librarians and teachers don't wan to be sued, fired, broke and unemployable.

Dr. Magnusson's Database of Book Bans and Challenges in the United States usually lists reason if known. She doesn't count soft censorship or challenges though. You need the freedom to read projects, EveryLibrary, etc. for that information.
https://www.everylibraryinstitute.org...

[Kelly (Maybedog), Minister of Illicit Reading]

I'd prefer to not add those that librarians are removing are just to be safe. It's dumb to remove stuff preemptively because they could wait to be told and then just remove them quietly (as gross as that is).

That's a great tool, thanks for the rec! But it's really short. A google search can usually come up with a reason. The AI is notoriously wrong sometimes but since it has to come up with an actual phrase, I think it's okay. It's faster to just do a search when looking up a lot of books. If looking up just one or two, we can look at that list first.