Why were these 10 books banned?

Not every banned book is banned by a country, sometimes it’s simply one school in a small town. Other times, it’s most of the world. As for books banned in certain institutions, some I can understand. For instance, I don’t approve of elementary students reading graphic content in novels such as violence and sexual depictions as it is by all means, morally wrong!

Therefore, when a book is banned for reasons such as graphic sexual content or violence, I don’t have a problem with it not being allowed in certain private spaces, such as privately owned daycare centers. However, it is when freedom of expression is taken away in public spaces—that bothers me.

As for books banned due to religious beliefs, I myself attended a private Christian high school and was never told off for reading J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series (1997-2007). However, each to their own I suppose. I do understand that private schools that practice a certain religion—no matter what that may be, might ban a book on campus or two that goes against their belief systems. That is a ballpark I won’t be covering in this post as there are thousands of books worldwide banned across entire countries. These are just some of the books that I want to talk about—displayed in date of publication order.

1. We (1921) by Yevgeny Zamyatin - Notorious for being the first book banned by the Soviet censorship board in 1921. It was banned for its themes of rising communism and warnings of enforced censorship. I have personal feelings about We and its relations to George Orwell’s 1949 novel 1984. If you would like to know the reason why, then come back next Thursday… 👀

2. Brave New World (1932) by Aldous Huxley - Originally banned in 1932 in countries such as Ireland and Australia for themes of graphic sexual content. However, over time this novel has been banned by many schools in America for sexual content, racism, offensive language, and as most banned books, anti-religious themes.

3. Of Mice and Men (1937) by John Steinbeck - Banned in Ireland in 1953 for vulgar language, but was later banned throughout the 1970s-2005 for depictions of homosexuality, violence, sexual content and offensive language.

4. Animal Farm (1945) by George Orwell - As like all of George Orwell’s work, Animal Farm was banned in several countries such as the Soviet Union, China and Cuba almost immediately after publication for its anti-communist stance. Later on, it was banned in Brazil during the 1960s1980s for attacking morality and then in the UAE for anti-religious viewpoints in 2002. It has been banned in certain schools in America for being perceived as “anti-American” and “anti-family unit” since its release. I’m not surprised by this ironic ban as this book does warn us of what happens when our voices are silenced.

5. The Diary of a Young Girl (1947) by Anne Frank - This one really gets under my skin as its ban feels as if it is not only an attempt to erase history, but also an attempt to erase this young girl’s experiences and life, Anne Frank. Banned the United States for depictions of LGBTQ+ and “pornographic content” in 2023-2024. This is horrifying as Anne Frank describing her changing body during purity in her personal diary is not “pornographic content” and is something that all young teens experience. For any grown adult to even read it or comprehend these portions of her diary in such a disgusting manner should be the ones under review.

6. The Catcher in the Rye (1951) by J. D. Salinger - Banned from 1961-1982 for offensive language, sexual references, violence, mental health and the protagonist, Holden Caulfield‘s rebellious behavior. This book is still being banned for these themes today in certain U.S. schools.

7. Fahrenheit 451 (1953) by Ray Bradbury - I was unsurprised that this is one of the main books banned throughout the world. However, the irony is quite tragic here as Fahrenheit 451’s message is book censorship and what could happen in a world where books are banned. This book was originally by South Africa in the 1950s-70s as the government burned copies—isn’t that ironic. It was later banned throughout classrooms in Florida (1987), California (1992) and Texas (2006) most notably for the burning of the Bible within the story, vulgarity, drug use and sexual references.

8. To Kill a Mockingbird (1960) by Harper Lee - This is one of those books that has been on American curriculums to introduce young minds to the literary world, but it does not go without its fair share of criticism. It has been banned over the years for depictions of racism, rape and vulgar language. Most notably, it was banned in 2020 in California for its use of the n-word in one of its chapters.

9. The Bell Jar (1963) by Silvia Plath - Banned in the 1970s for critiquing traditional gender roles, the discussion of sexuality and mental health including suicide. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, multiple U.S. school attempted to ban Plath’s The Bell Jar due to feminist themes, however they were not always successful—thank goodness!

10. The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas - Banned in both the U.S. and the U.K. since its release due to themes of police brutality, racism and references to drugs. Most recently, it was banned just last year in 2025 for depictions of perceived Marxism. This blogger is unsurprised that a book targeting systemic issues and battling societal inequality would be banned. I find that any book that is deemed as “anti-police” or has a focus on changing the current system in which a government enacts, will be banned. This book speaks on the experiences of racism, police brutality, as well as the failing of systems that are set in place to protect their citizens.

    
    

I do avoid politics on my page, however, I had to involve some level of political context when it comes to banned books. I would love to make this into a series. Do let me know in the comments below if you guys enjoyed this concept and we will go from there! Thank you for reading my blog post today. I’ll catch you on Thursday!

Sincerely,

your 21st century poet