Top 10 Books That Were Banned for Absolutely Absurd Reasons
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| 10 Books That Were Banned for Absolutely Absurd Reasons |
Writing witches can only be women, forbidden. Writing witches also has good witches, banned… There are books that don't write about witches, but readers don't understand why it's banned, until reading this article!
Even readers who disagree with the forbidden practices understand that there are books with heavy content about violence, sex, etc., which can cause mixed opinions. It is completely understandable to have to decide whether to ban it because it might affect younger readers.
There are numerous reasons for book bans, which typically turn even the best books into stories that people cannot read. This is especially concerning given how frequently banned books have been adapted into films, many of which are underappreciated. Continue reading to learn about the absurd justifications some people have used to try to ban even seemingly innocuous books.
| Summary |
1. The 'Tarzan' series
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| The 'Tarzan' series |
Banned reason: adventure stories unsuitable for youngsters
Edgar Rice Burroughs' classic series about a man living in the jungle was discovered on the shelves of a public library in Tarzana, California. Authorities thought the adventure stories were inappropriate for children because there was no evidence that Tarzan and Jane had married before they began cohabiting in the treetops.
Ralph Rothmund, who ran Burroughs' estate, objected to the couple saying their vows in the jungle with Jane's father as minister. "The father may not have been an ordained minister," Rothmund explained, "but things were primitive back then in the jungle."
2. Charlotte’s Web
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| Charlotte’s Web |
Banned reason: Talking Animals Are 'Blasphemous'
Talking animals appear in a variety of children's books, from Winnie-the-Pooh to Charlotte's Web. The latter tells the heartwarming, heroic story of a talking pig whose life is saved by a talking spider. While talking farm animals have undoubtedly contributed to the book's and its animated film adaptation's enduring popularity, they have also been the source of significant criticism.
Indeed, in 2006, a parents' group in Kansas demanded that the book be banned due to its inclusion of talking animals. This particular form of anthropomorphism was deemed blasphemous by the group:
Humans are the highest level of God’s creation and are the only creatures that can communicate vocally. Showing lower life forms with human abilities is sacrilegious and disrespectful to God.
3. Harriet the Spy
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| Harriet the Spy |
Banned reason: Teach children to lie, spy, and back-talk
This Louise Fitzhugh novel, published in 1964, is considered a classic. It tells the story of Harriet, an 11-year-old girl who keeps a notebook filled with candid thoughts about the people in her life—but when her notebook is discovered, she must deal with the consequences. It appears innocent enough, but in 1983, some parents in Xenia, Ohio, objected to the book's presence at a school board meeting.
They believed the book taught children to lie, spy, and gossip. Their challenge ultimately failed, but this was not Harriet's first brush with controversy: when the book was first published, not all critics were fans, and some schools were able to ban the story.
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4. Little Red Riding Hood
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| Little Red Riding Hood |
Banned reason: A California school board wanted to censor the 1987 version of the book because her basket includes a bottle of wine.
The main theme of the children's fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood" is not to talk to strangers - especially if they have large shiny white teeth. But when they saw the book with illustrations by Trina Hyman, officials from the Culver City, California Department of Education thought otherwise.
They were angry when the artist painted Little Red Riding Hood carrying a basket containing a bottle of wine. "Describing a grandmother with a red nose because she drank half a bottle of wine is not what we want to educate children," a representative of the Department said.
5. Where The Wild Things Are
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| Where The Wild Things Are |
Banned reason: When it was first published in 1963, the book was frequently banned in the South because sending a child to bed without dinner was considered child abuse.
Many editors feared that troublemaker Max's imaginary adventure into a fantasy land was too dark and frightening to publish Maurice Sendak's classic children's book Where the Wild Things Are. When the book was finally published in 1963, it was banned because adults objected to Max being punished by being sent to bed without dinner and also objected to the book's supernatural themes. According to a 1969 column in Ladies Home Journal, the book is "psychologically damaging for 3- and 4-year-olds."
6. Where’s Waldo?
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| Where’s Waldo? |
Banned reason: In the 1987 edition, a female beachgoer (with her back to the reader) is implied to be topless.
The book "Where is Waldo?" became famous in the mid-1990s, thanks to it many young readers flocked to find the tall man with Waldo glasses everywhere in the crowd. And the disaster is not that the main character disappears all the time. The censors were alarmed because an illustration by Martin Handford showed a woman basking in the sun with her breasts exposed. As a result, the book was banned in the states of Michigan and New York.
7. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret
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| Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret |
Banned reason: The book was banned because it discussed menstruation.
Something about books that depict the real young adult experience irritates people, which may explain why so many Judy Blume books are challenged or banned. Five of Judy Blume's books were on the most frequently banned list in the 1990s: Forever, Blubber, Deenie, Tiger Eyes, and Are You There, God? Hello, my name is Margaret. Are You There God, published in the 1970s, explores the challenges of growing into yourself as a young girl, and it's frequently criticized, primarily because it discusses puberty and adolescent sexuality.
The novel was challenged in 1982 by the Fond du Lac school district in Wisconsin for being "sexually offensive and amoral." Blume even wrote about donating three copies to her children's school, but "the male principal decided that the book was inappropriate because of the discussion of menstruation"—you know, something every adolescent girl faces. (However, it's arguably better than when Forever was banned for depicting "parental disobedience.")
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8. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
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| The Wonderful Wizard of Oz |
Banned reason: Its Depiction Of Women In Strong Leadership Roles
Even before it was adapted into the beloved musical The Wizard of Oz, starring Judy Garland as the protagonist, L. Frank Baum's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was a critical and commercial success.
At first glance, the story of a farm girl who is swept away to Oz by a tornado does not appear to contain much objectionable material. However, it was risky for the Chicago public libraries because "depicting women in strong leadership roles" could have an ungodly influence.
This would not be the novel's last brush with opposition from educators and other public figures, particularly in the 1950s and 1960s. In Florida, a teacher condemned the book for having an unwholesome influence on young readers. Until the 1980s, when a high-profile protest by a group of Christians denounced the story's depiction of "good" witches, there were challenges.
9. Harry Potter
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| Harry Potter |
Banned reason: promoting witches
The Harry Potter series has sold over 450 million copies, so J K Rowling probably wouldn't be too concerned about missing out on readers. However, although Harry Potter is very popular with audiences around the world, the first four volumes in the series are still labeled as the most banned books in the US.
Accused of promoting witchcraft and supernatural powers, labeled a “masterpiece of Satan's deception,” these four volumes were banned and burned across the United States, despite schools adamant refused to accept requests from many parents to remove these four volumes from their libraries.
10. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
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| Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland |
Prohibited reason: allusion to drugs that confuse people?
For most readers, Carroll's 1865 book is an adventure of discovery that has captivated children's imaginations for generations. However, for a Chinese provincial governor, it is dangerous.
In 1931, the book was banned in Hunan province, but not because it alluded to confusing drugs, but because it included talking animals. Provincial Governor Ho Chien said that "it is disastrous to portray humans and animals on the same level."
Conclusion
Book banning is also not extinct; in fact, the ALA publishes a list of banned and challenged books each year. And, while some may be challenged or banned with good intentions—for example, because the books perpetuate stereotypes or sexism—others are challenged or banned for the absurd reasons stated above. There are books that are completely mysterious, because it seems "innocent", until the reason is "revealed"!
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