We have frequently heard about the books, movies, and TV series that are banned in many areas of the world. You might think that it is always done for a good reason. Maybe not, as we have picked up a bunch of books that are banned by various governments of the world. Some do have sensible reasons, but there various other books that are banned for pretty lame and absurd reasons. Check out in the list below!
1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
The Chinese government has banned the book because of the talking animals. They think that bringing animals and humans to the same level is a disaster. Seriously?
2. Fifty Shades Trilogy – E.L. James
The erotic trilogy by E.L. James is banned in many libraries around the world, essentially for its genre. It was banned in Malaysia, and the censorship board even added the book to their list considering it a “threat to morality.”
3. Animal Farm – George Orwell
This popular book has been on the list of banned books for quite a long time in the USSR due to the criticism of communism. In the UAE, it is banned due to its anthropomorphic theme. The book remains banned in North Korea to this date, and only the censored version is allowed in Vietnam.
4. The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
Lebanon banned this best seller book for “inaccurate” depiction of Christianity. They considered it to be an offense to the religion.
5. And Tango Makes Three – Justin Richardson
This book based on the true story of two gay male penguins in New York Central Zoo has been the center of many controversies, as it is meant to be children’s book. The book was banned and removed from all state level libraries in Singapore, and remains restricted at the local level in many libraries across the globe.
6. The Canterbury Tales – Geoffrey Chaucer
This is a classic loved by many, but it was once banned from US mail under a federal law for sexually explicit content and obscenities.
7. Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm – The Brothers Grimm
The Allied-occupied Germany banned the book as it glorified the Nazi propaganda.
8. Ulysses – James Joyce
The US banned Ulysses on the grounds of obscene content until it won the trial in District Court. It was also banned in Britain, and even the US Postal Service burned all copies of it. While the novel was never banned, the movie based on this novel remained on the banned list for 33 years in Ireland.
9. Green Eggs and Ham – Dr. Seuss
China banned this children’s book temporarily for its anti-Marxist themes. Many think that the real reason was the character of the author.
10. American Psycho – Bret Easton Ellis
The movie based on the novel became super popular, but Australia banned the book for quite a while for its graphically violent content. Now, it is available only to the people who are 18 or older.
11. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
This one was banned in South Africa back in 1955 for “objectionable and obscene” content.
12. Steal This Book – Abbie Hoffman
The book served to find the loopholes in the system in the 60s. It was banned in Canada and many bookstores in the US.
13. The Country Girls – Edna O’Brien
This Edna O’Brien book was criticized for the openness in sexual and social matters when published in the 1960s. Ireland banned it for a while, but it was later adapted into a movie.
14. Spycatcher – Peter Wright
The book described as the “candid autobiography of a senior intelligence officer” was banned by the British government that made it more popular. The book remained available in Scotland, and the government could not put a stop to it after even attempting to ban it in Australia.
15. Doctor Zhivago – Boris Pasternak
Being a love story spiking in the Russian Revolution, it was not allowed to be published in the USSR. The book was smuggled to the US and later won the Nobel Prize for Literature. The Russian government forced Pasternak to reject the award while kicking him out of the Soviet Writers Union.
Do you think that it was right to ban any of these books? Are there any other popular ones that we may have missed? Let us know in the comments’ section below.
I dont believe in Book Banning or burning of books. I believe in freedom of speech.