Banned & Challenged Books for AdultsLike this list

11 items

• The Origin of Species

  And, The Voyage of the Beagle

  Darwin, Charles, 1809-1882

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  Published in 1859, then banned from the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, where Darwin had been a student. In 1925, Tennessee banned the teaching of the theory of evolution in schools; the law remained in force until 1967.

• The Odyssey

  Homer,

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  In year 35 the Roman emperor Caligula opposed the reading of The Odyssey, written more than 300 years before. He thought the epic poem was dangerous because it expressed Greek ideas of freedom.

• The Handmaid's Tale

  Atwood, Margaret, 1939-

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  After a parent formally complained about the novel’s “profane language,” anti-Christian overtones, “violence” and “sexual degradation”, a review panel recommended the novel be kept in curriculum for grades 11 and 12.

• The Satanic Verses

  a Novel

  Rushdie, Salman

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  Burned repeatedly by Muslims in the United Kingdom after its publication in 1988. India was the first of several countries in the world to ban the novel. In 2012, Indian writers called for the ban’s repeal.

• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee

  An Indian History of American West

  Brown, Dee (Dee Alexander)

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  In 1974, a Wisconsin school district official justified a ban on this book by saying: "If there’s a possibility that something might be controversial, then why not eliminate it?"

• Collected Poems, 1947-1997

  Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997

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  In 1957, a year after the publication of Howl & Other Poems, US Customs seized 520 copies of this book. Later that same year, this book was declared not obscene in a court decision.

• Candide, Or, Optimism

  Voltaire, 1694-1778

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  Administrators of Paris banned it shortly after release in 1759. 30,000 copies sold within a year, making it a best seller. In 1930, U.S. Customs seized Harvard-bound copies of the book. In 1944, the U.S. post office demanded that Candide be dropped…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Leaves of Grass

  Whitman, Walt, 1819-1892

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  Published in 1833, Leaves of Grass was threatened with banning 50 years later by Boston’s district attorney unless the book was expurgated. The public uproar brought such sales that Whitman was able to buy a house with the proceeds.

• The Wars. --

  Findley, Timothy, 1930-2002

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  Challenged repeatedly, as recently as 2011, since winning the Governor General's Literary Award in 1977. School boards continue to uphold the use of the book in secondary school curriculums.

• The Kite Runner

  a Novel

  Hosseini, Khaled

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  This critically acclaimed, multigenerational novel was challenged and banned because it includes sexual violence and was thought to “lead to terrorism” and “promote Islam.”

• Freedom to Read Week 2021

  View on freedomtoread.ca

  Visit the Freedom to Read website for a complete look at how the Book & Periodical Council work to monitor censorship issues in Canada, and protect our freedom of expression.