Publications
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To kill a mockingbird by Harper lee
Published in 1960, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator is six-year-old Scout Finch, who lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer.
Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt for the summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated by, their neighbor, the "Boo" Radley. Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man, who has been falsely accused of raping a young white woman.
Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. One night a man attacks Jem and Scout, but they are rescued by a mysterious man, who they later realize is Boo Radley.
Reasons for being banned: Racism, offensive language, unsuited to age group
And tango makes three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
And tango makes three is the tale of two male penguins bringing up an orphaned chick. The children’s book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins. The book follows the six years of their life where they formed a couple and were given an egg to raise in New York’s Central Park Zoo.
Reasons for being banned: Homosexuality
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye, is set in the 1950s and narrated by a teenager named Holden Caulfield whilst he undergoes treatment in a mental hospital. He speaks about the events that take place between the end of term and Christmas when he is 16 years old. The characters in this strange tale include a prostitute, her pimp, Maurice, and his ex-English teacher.
Reasons for being banned: Sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The book, Speak, which is currently being challenged, is the story of a young girl, Melinda Sordino, who is raped by a senior boy at a high school party after getting drunk at a party. She calls 911 and the police break up the party for underage drinking, arresting some of the kids. She tells no one about the rape and becomes depressed. She begins to fail her classes except for one, art. She forms a bond with her art teacher, Mr. Freeman and questions her feelings for her friend, David.
Reasons for being challenged: sexuality, situations of suicidal thoughts in teens, and gritty teenage situations
Burger's Daughter by Nadine Gordimer
The book is about white anti-apartheid activists in South Africa who want to overthrow the South African government. The book was written in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprisings and follows the life of Rosa as she comes to terms with the legacy of her father’s activism for the SACP over the course of 30 years.
Reasons for being banned: going against the government's racial policies; the ban was reversed in October of the same year.
What are some of your favourite banned books? Share your favourites and other recommendations with us in the comment box below.
Published in 1960, Harper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning story takes place during three years of the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama. The narrator is six-year-old Scout Finch, who lives with her older brother Jem and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer.
Jem and Scout befriend a boy named Dill who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt for the summer. The three children are terrified of, and fascinated by, their neighbor, the "Boo" Radley. Atticus is appointed by the court to defend a black man, who has been falsely accused of raping a young white woman.
Although many of Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability. One night a man attacks Jem and Scout, but they are rescued by a mysterious man, who they later realize is Boo Radley.
Reasons for being banned: Racism, offensive language, unsuited to age group
And tango makes three by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
And tango makes three is the tale of two male penguins bringing up an orphaned chick. The children’s book is based on the true story of Roy and Silo, two male Chinstrap Penguins. The book follows the six years of their life where they formed a couple and were given an egg to raise in New York’s Central Park Zoo.
Reasons for being banned: Homosexuality
The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger
The Catcher in the Rye, is set in the 1950s and narrated by a teenager named Holden Caulfield whilst he undergoes treatment in a mental hospital. He speaks about the events that take place between the end of term and Christmas when he is 16 years old. The characters in this strange tale include a prostitute, her pimp, Maurice, and his ex-English teacher.
Reasons for being banned: Sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group
Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
The book, Speak, which is currently being challenged, is the story of a young girl, Melinda Sordino, who is raped by a senior boy at a high school party after getting drunk at a party. She calls 911 and the police break up the party for underage drinking, arresting some of the kids. She tells no one about the rape and becomes depressed. She begins to fail her classes except for one, art. She forms a bond with her art teacher, Mr. Freeman and questions her feelings for her friend, David.
Reasons for being challenged: sexuality, situations of suicidal thoughts in teens, and gritty teenage situations
Burger's Daughter by Nadine Gordimer
The book is about white anti-apartheid activists in South Africa who want to overthrow the South African government. The book was written in the wake of the 1976 Soweto uprisings and follows the life of Rosa as she comes to terms with the legacy of her father’s activism for the SACP over the course of 30 years.
Reasons for being banned: going against the government's racial policies; the ban was reversed in October of the same year.
What are some of your favourite banned books? Share your favourites and other recommendations with us in the comment box below.
