Looking at the books that have been banned in schools, it seems strange that some of the most cherished novels have made the list. Parents will always do everything in their power to protect their kids, but some of these reasons for banning just are ridiculous. I personally think it is better to expose children to some risqué topics in the safe setting of a classroom, before they are exposed to them in real life. Kids these days will have to deal with heavy topics, and reading about them first can prepare them. Not every school has banned these classics, but it seems a shame that some of the most renowned novels are among the many books that have been banned in schools.
1 Harry Potter
I find it personally offensive that the Harry Potter novels that I grew up with and love are among the many books that have been banned in schools. Some parents demanded it be banned due to its witchcraft and hocus pocus related topics. While that may deter some parents, I think Harry Potter has encouraged many young children to develop a passion for reading and J K Rowling sparked the imagination of an entire generation.
2 The Great Gatsby
With one mention of sex in the entire novel, I find it strange that sexual content was one of the reasons “The Great Gatsby” was banned. Many of the advocates of banning this book object to the many reference of partying, alcohol, and gambling, but I personally believe those topics are mentioned to paint a more vivid picture of the Roaring Twenties.
While I do not agree with exposing children to racial slurs, I think if it is within the pages of a literary classic, it is somewhat more acceptable. Children have read “To Kill A Mockingbird” across the nation for years, and for it to be banned in schools due to its profanity is a joke. I am sure children can hear more profanity in nightly television that in this incredible novel.
4 The Catcher in the Rye
“The Catcher in The Rye” does deal with some heavy issues of a young adult boy. Topics such as depression, aggression, and prostitution are all touched on within this novel. I read this book in high school, at an age where these topics were discussed openly and in a safe classroom environment. I think being introduced to these topics in a classroom setting definitely prepared me to deal with depression and aggression in a real life setting.
5 Where the Wild Things Are
Some critics of “Where the Wild Things Are” believed that a book centered on Max’s temper tantrum would encourage other kids to become more aggressive and angry towards their parents. This was banned in some schools almost immediately after it was released and many parents thought it would be traumatizing for a young child. I personally loved this story and its imaginative cast of monsters.
6 Gone with the Wind
Like most novels that paint a picture of our nation’s history, “Gone With The Wind” has been banned for its racial slurs and portrayal of race issues. While I do not agree with the way that other races were depicted in this book, I think it helps us to understand the way of life in 19th century south. The way people thought and acted in that time is vastly different to what is acceptable today. It may not be pleasant to read these slurs, but they give us a glimpse into the inappropriate actions of our past and help us to not repeat them.
7 The Lord of the Flies
When I read “The Lord of the Flies” in school, I will admit I was taken aback by the violence in it. It is disturbing to think that young schoolboys were capable of such aggressive acts. But that is the purpose of the novel. William Golding wanted his audience to think about what each and every person is capable of when put in a certain environment. A book should not be banned for violence when that violence can change the way we think about others and ourselves.
8 Of Mice and Men
This is one of my all time favorite novels and I can shamelessly admit that I cried at the end of it. Schools have banned this classic because it uses profanity and takes the Lord’s name in vain. Taking into account how influential this novel was in describing the living conditions of the Great Depression, a few curse words seem meager in comparison.
9 The Lord of the Rings
I laughed when I heard that some groups wanted this book banned because they featured characters that smoked. Anti-smoking groups thought it would encourage children to take up smoking themselves. While I appreciate their concern, “The Lord of the Rings” is one of the most imaginative and creative books out there. I also find it funny that many found the books to be “irreligious” when J. R. R Tolkien was incredibly religious and has even called his work to be a “fundamentally religious and Christian work” Regardless of how J.R.R Tolkien (and those wanting to ban his work) felt, this book has continued to be loved by so many and still is popular today.
10 Animal Farm
With communism being such a touchy subject in our nation, I can see why Animal Farm was banned in so many schools in the 80s. It, in essence, is about the rise of Stalin and socialism in the USSR. I found this book to be incredibly powerful and it has been called one of the most important books of our time. For it to be banned because it does not include capitalist topics seems silly to me.
11 Brave New World
This novel has been one of the most banned novels around the world for being anti-religion, anti-family, and having negative themes. It is a very intense novel that deals with some very intense topics so I understand some parents concern. But rather than outright ban this novel, why not limit it to just high school classrooms. It is very though provoking and the lessons it can teach us are very valuable to an intellectual mind.
I know not everyone agrees that these books should be read in schools, but I personally believe that reading these classics can instill a passion for literature in children and encourage them to think about the world in new ways. Reading is a chance to live a new life for just a short while. It can take you to new places and teach you lessons you may not learn in real life. What did you think of these books that have been banned in schools? Do you know of any other books that have been banned? Do you agree that these books should not be read in schools? Have you read any of these books?
Hailey Read all of these, some very recently lol none of them are banned at my high school
Morgan either you're wrong or my school has some catching up to do because I'm pretty sure all of these are in our library
Susan I've read two of those books during the school year, for school.?
Sheila My daughter and I have loved Harry Potter her entire childhood, reading the books aloud, books on cd, the movies, then when she was older reading the books on her own. they are wonderful children's stories where good overcomes evil and hating others for being different is vilified. yes, there is magic! what a wonderful way to spark children's imaginations to encourage them to read! Thank you J. K. Rowling!
Sheila I wonder if the parent that fought so hard to ban these books also fight to keep so many television shows and movies away from their children's eyes. I would never keep my daughter from reading a book, in fact we read many at the same time and have lengthy discussions about them, but I have always been very strict about tv and movies. Luckily she has also had the chance to read several of the books mentioned in school as well.
Michellebeck Apart from Harry Potter, all books are on our reading list for the literature course :D well okay i live in Germany so maybe that makes a difference :p
Cassidy We have had to read 3 of those books this year during school.
Alyssa 6 of these were required reading a few years ago at my schools....
KaraVeronica 7 of these were options for required reading at my High school, and I read 5 of them for class
Fran Scared of crows.
Nakita I had to read most of these books when I was in school
Cindy Slavery is part of our history, why be ashamed of it?? The world was built on slavery!! Its even in the Bible, and its not condemned in the Bible, get over yourself!
Audrey @Cindy Do you seriously believe we shouldn't be ashamed of forcing people(including children) to work in shackles with hardly any breaks in the hot sun/rain/snow all because they have a different skin color? That sort of treatment is sickening and no one should be proud of it. Who cares if it's in the bible? The bible is a book of parables, not laws. It should be used as a guide of morals, not to be taken literally. Are you also unashamed of Hitler?
Dascha I read most of these in school, and, to be fair, there is a good argument for banning Gone With The Wind from high school. It's not just the racial slurs (I wouldn't want Huck Finn banned, for example), but it's the fact that the book is an apologia for the ante-bellum South and shows black people as completely happy in their roles as slaves. If it were taught in a way that points out and dismantles those myths, maybe alongside the autobiography of Frederick Douglass, then that would be a fantastic learning experience for the students, but I don't see assigning it on its own, without some serious discussion of context, as appropriate.
Midgetjaffacake I've read pretty much all these - and studied two for my GCSE English (To Kill a Mockingbird & Of Mice And Men), and am currently studying The Great Gatsby for A-Level English Literature, along with The Kite Runner. The reason to ban them is the reason we're studying them! And I find it rather funny they ban Harry Potter - I see no harm in those books!
Sara It's almost laughable how out of touch some school districts are with the reality of their students real lives.
sleeper I've read pretty much all of these for school
Johana Im currently a junior in high school in Washington State. And I read of mice and man and to kill a mocking bird my freshman year . And this year in my AP language and composition class over read The Great Gatsby, Catcher in the Rye.
Amanda At my school, a Texas school, AP English 3 read The Great Gatsby, I read Catcher in the Rye last semester for Honors English 3, and this semester I'm about to read To Kill a Mockingbird. So these three books aren't "banned".
Mandy My school had all of these...I would say books like Fifty Shades are banned/looked down upon
Deova At least four of these books were the main study pieces of my highschool years. These reasons given to 'ban' them were precisely why they were chosen. We analyzed them and compared them to modern society and literature. This article was not thoroughly researched.
Bailey I can find all of these books in my high school library and have done a novel study on at least 3 of them - definitely not banned!
I We studied lotf last year and animal farm and to kill mocking bird and they are all excellent books.
Grisabel low key i love all these books except for animal farm aha, but i still had to read them for english class except of course, harry potter.
Ronilynn I'm a junior and I've read most of these and couple of them were this school year..
Woodlandwonder I've read 7 out of 11 of these books for English classes throughout high school...
Allie I've read most of the books on your list In school we had to have our parents sign permission slips.
Shannon I read most of these books in school. The only book that I ever remember my parents being upset with was The Things They Carried which was set during the Vietnam War and the f bomb was used frequently in the book. It was one of my favorite books from high school.
Mary I had to read all but harry potter in high school, and I only graduated a year ago...
Mia Our class has read every single one of these books...
Giana We HAD to do animal farm as a book project and do a huge presentation after. We looked in great depth of this book (all though I didnt really like it tbh)
Giana I've read 9/11 of these at school found in the library
lisa I've read most of these books.. senior in high school atm
Ella I don't know why they ban books in public schools based on religion like saying the Lord's name in vain when the first amendment says the US can't establish a religion but that's exactly what they're doing when they decide what children can and can't read based off of religion
Amanda Senior in high school and have read all but 3 of these books!
Lexi I literally just went down the whole thing going "read that in school...and that....that one too....yep. My teachers made me read all of those. My school obviously doesn't care!"
Caitlin None of these are banned in my middle school. They were never banned in my elementary school either.
Kay I read 3 of these in school this year?
Hannah I'm a senior in high school and I've read almost all of these at school and I know that none of these books are on the banned list
Bren This books are some of my favorites! People overthink other people's mind and actions.
Maeghs My high school had every single one of theses books....books like the great Gatsby and The Lord of the flies were some of the books we had to use for our independent novel study
Teddie I live in Louisiana, and I have to say that none of these books have been banned so far
Hannah @Teddie I live in Louisiana too and all of these books are in the high-school library, on the reading list, or we are/have been reading throughout the year.
Olivia All of these books were in my school library and Harry potter, where the wild things are, to kill a mockingbird, and gone with the wind were on a special display.
Kendra Lol, I feel awful for the people who go to schools who don't allow these books. Almost all of them are required book reads in my school!
Alyssa Four of these books are still used in schools... Haha
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