Books for my home library Public

Banned in the Confederate States during the Civil War because of its anti-slavery content. In 1852, Uncle Tom's Cabin was banned in Russia in the reign of Nicholas I because of the idea of equality it presented, and for its "undermining religious ideals".

Perhaps the highest praise an author can receive, John Steinbeck’s depiction of the harsh working conditions in Depression-era California was so brutal that it was banned in the county the Joad family moves to, despite historians confirming that Steinbeck’s portrayal was true-to-life.

The novel by Maya Angelou is one of the most banned books of the modern age. The most cited reasons are for its frank depiction of rape, sex, and race. And making people uncomfortable with learning about reality.

The story opens with a twelve year old black boy being killed by a white police officer. The scene is intense, painful to read, and causes a deep discomfort for the reader. The following flashback of the boy with his family in the kitchen is jarring because it is so mundane in comparison.

ADDED TO LIBRARY! “Never again and again and again”. What makes the book controversial is exactly what makes it valuable. Banned by a Tennessee school board, Russia (2015) and Poland (2001).

This is on the ALA’s list of banned books nearly every year due to obscene content, depictions of sex, profanity and heresy. It was among the first literary works to depict homosexuals as being victims of the Holocaust. A judge called it “depraved, immoral, psychotic, vulgar and anti-Christian.”

ADDED TO LIBRARY! In 2018, a police union in South Carolina thought it was their turn to object to books taught in school because the novel described an “almost indoctrination of distrust of police” and added, “we’ve got to put a stop to that.”

ADDED TO LIBRARY! This book has been banned in several schools in the United States over the years. Mostly in regards to passages that were considered ”sexually offensive”, as well as for the tragic nature of the book, which some felt might be depressing for young readers.

In mid-February 1989, following a violent riot against the book in Pakistan, the Supreme Leader of Iran issued a fatwa calling for the death of Rushdie and his publishers. On 12 August 2022, Rushdie was attacked onstage while speaking at an event.