11 books that have been banned in schools

Talia LakritzJan 31, 2022, 04:03 IST

The graphic novel "Maus" by Art Spiegelman was banned by a school board in Tennessee.Maro Siranosians/AFP/Getty Images

Classic books and contemporary young adult novels have been banned in schools.
Language, sexual content, and even "Satanic" themes have all been the subject of complaints.

Both classic books and contemporary novels have been banned in schools for a variety of reasons.

A library display marking Banned Books Week.Carol Rosenberg/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

The "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling has been banned several times.

Fans pick up their new copies of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 2007.Joe Raedle/Getty Images

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee has been banned due to its use of the N-word and other racial epithets, as well as its "adult themes."

Copies of "To Kill A Mockingbird."Tim Boyle/Getty Images

Like "To Kill A Mockingbird," Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been controversial in schools for its language and depiction of African Americans.

"The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn."Ted S. Warren/AP

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck has been banned due to its use of profanity.

"Of Mice and Men."Katherine Frey/The Washington Post via Getty Images

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher was the most challenged book in schools in 2017.

"Thirteen Reasons Why."Ross D. Franklin/AP

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas was removed from a Texas school district's libraries in 2017.

Author Angie Thomas signs copies of "The Hate U Give."Rogelio V. Solis/AP

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger has been removed from school reading lists, citing a plot that is "centered around negative activity."

"The Catcher in the Rye."Amy Sancetta/AP

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker has been deemed "smut" and "X-rated" by several school districts.

Author Alice Walker and Robert Allen look at a copy of "The Color Purple" at a screening of the film adaptation of the book in 1986.Laura Sikes/AP

A 1987 ban against "Animal Farm" by George Orwell was overturned.

"Animal Farm."Amazon

"Looking For Alaska" by John Green was the most challenged book of 2015 for "offensive language" and "sexually explicit content."

John Green reads a passage from "Looking for Alaska" in a vlog.vlogbrothers/YouTube

"Maus," a graphic novel by author Art Spiegelman about the Holocaust, was banned by a Tennessee school board that called the graphic nature of the book "completely unnecessary."

"Maus" by Art Spiegelman.Maro Siranosians/AFP/Getty Images

"Maus," a graphic novel by author Art Spiegelman about the Holocaust, was banned by a Tennessee school board that called the graphic nature of the book "completely unnecessary."

The 8 coolest features of new luxury bus startup The Jet with rides from NYC to DC for $99, including motion-canceling seats and free WiFi

Cookies on the Business Insider India website

11 books that have been banned in schools

Both classic books and contemporary novels have been banned in schools for a variety of reasons.

The "Harry Potter" series by J.K. Rowling has been banned several times.

"To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee has been banned due to its use of the N-word and other racial epithets, as well as its "adult themes."

Like "To Kill A Mockingbird," Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" has been controversial in schools for its language and depiction of African Americans.

"Of Mice and Men" by John Steinbeck has been banned due to its use of profanity.

"Thirteen Reasons Why" by Jay Asher was the most challenged book in schools in 2017.

"The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas was removed from a Texas school district's libraries in 2017.

"The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger has been removed from school reading lists, citing a plot that is "centered around negative activity."

"The Color Purple" by Alice Walker has been deemed "smut" and "X-rated" by several school districts.

A 1987 ban against "Animal Farm" by George Orwell was overturned.

"Looking For Alaska" by John Green was the most challenged book of 2015 for "offensive language" and "sexually explicit content."

"Maus," a graphic novel by author Art Spiegelman about the Holocaust, was banned by a Tennessee school board that called the graphic nature of the book "completely unnecessary."