From famous classic novels to today’s modern-day literature, several books faced challenges, censorship, and bans in the United States. There are many reasons which include the use of abusive language, sex, sexual orientation, religious conflicts, gender and racial discrimination, and many more. Despite these challenges, most of these books received iconic attention among the audience, and they have inspired readers. This blog will highlight the most famous banned books in the United States and their complex relationships with societal norms and literature.

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10 Most Famous Banned Books in the United States

The following are the most famous banned books in the US:

• “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller 
• “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger 
• “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee 
• “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou 
• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison 
• “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling  
• “The Satanic Verses” by Salmon Rushdie 
• “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe 
• “Maus” by Art Spiegelman
• “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick

1) “Tropic of Cancer” by Henry Miller 

Tropic of Cancer” was written in 1934 by Henry Miller. The book contains the details of his sexual exploits. However, the debate on banning started when the United States passed its censorship laws 30 years after its publication and distribution. Tropic of Cancer was outlawed from being distributed or imported into the United States due to the government’s allegation that the book “dealt too explicitly with his sexual adventures and challenged models of sexual morality.” The government then banned the entry of any of Miller’s works into the United States, irrespective of their subject matter or content.

An uncensored U.S. version in 1961 sparked allegations and censorship of immorality against the publisher. It was declared obscene in 1963 by a state court in New York. All public libraries in Brooklyn removed the book. In 1964, the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the book was not obscene and it was subsequently and broadly recognized as a significant masterpiece of 20th-century literature.  

2) “The Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger 

J.D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye is a classic of American literature. He is famous for two things: being famously seclusive and being the author of one of the most controversial and challenging books of the 20th century.  It is also regarded as one of the most censored books in American literature.

The book “The Catcher in the Rye,” one of the first works of fiction to explore male teenage consciousness, is described by Holden Caulfield in the first person, who struggles with feelings of anxiety and alienation. It has been challenged and banned in schools for vulgarity and episodes of sex and prostitution. Further reasons for the ban include its use of obscene and vulgar language, as well as defamation of God. 

Teachers have been dismissed for teaching it in their schools. It has also been blamed for promoting antisocial conduct in teenagers and encouraging violence among people who do not feel like they mix in with their classmates. After shooting and killing John Lennon, Mark David Chapman provided the police with a copy of the book to explain why he did it.

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3) “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee 

Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” was published in 1960, is regarded as an American classic, and received the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. This is the author’s most famous writing influenced by her background in Alabama under Jim Crow discrimination. The story, based partially on Lee’s own childhood experiences, is set in the Deep South amidst the Great Depression.

The novel’s two main themes are the loss of innocence and racial inequity. Although it is taught and highly regarded in high school classrooms, its depictions of black people, its use of the N-word, and its themes of sexual assault and incest have led to criticism as well as bans. People have recently criticized it, claiming that it causes them to feel uncomfortable and that it presents the key protagonist, Atticus Finch, as a “white savior.”

4) “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” by Maya Angelou 

Maya Angelou is a well-known American poet who presented her work during President Bill Clinton’s inauguration and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by Obama. However, her autobiographical novel “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings” has a long-lasting cultural influence, but several times it has been challenged and banned. 

The book was driven by the killing of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and concentrates on Angelou’s background in the South over 30 years ago. The main reasons for the ban were its themes of rape, homosexual relationships, pregnancies among teens, and racial relations. It developed bitterness and hatred toward white people, which led to its removal from the school curriculum as per the orders of the legislative committee in Alabama. 

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5) “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison 

“The Bluest Eye” is the first novel by Toni Morrison and the most recognized novel full of significant achievements. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993. The Bluest Eye keeps showing up on the American Library Association’s (ALA) list of books as the most challenged because it portrays child sexual abuse, uses offensive language, and deals with other controversial topics.

The story revolves around a young black girl who wishes she had bluer eyes and a fair complexion. It underlines the struggles that many young adults of color face in accepting who they are in a society that discriminates against them. In the past few years, Moms for Liberty and similar associations in Florida and other places have challenged the book asserting newly approved laws that prevent certain novels with sexual explicitness from being taught in schools.

6) 13. “Harry Potter” series by J.K. Rowling (1997-2007)

J. K. Rowling is a British author who wrote a series of seven fantasy novels as part of the Harry Potter series. The books cover the lives of young wizard Harry Potter and his two friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger enrolled in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The first book in J.K. Rowling’s seven-volume series, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,” was released in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was known as “The Sorcerer’s Stone.”

Religious talks surrounding J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series of books revolve around allegations that the novels have occult or Satanic subtexts. Several Protestants, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Catholics, and certain Muslims have condemned the series. It was a huge hit among youth which it was meant for, but it faced challenges from parents because of the magic, witchcraft, and occult practices.

7) “The Satanic Verses” by Salmon Rushdie 

Salmon Rushdie is famous not only for his style of writing but also for attempting to cover delicate and sensitive topics despite death threats. “The Satanic Verses” was challenged and banned in the United States and around the world for portrayals of Islam that some Muslims found blasphemous. It also forced Rushdie into exile after Iran’s Supreme Leader issued a ruling (fatwa) against him, calling for his and his publishers’ executions.

Some states refused to print the book and burned it. Some libraries and educational institutions refused to use the book given that they were afraid of the fatwa, even in the United States. Some private bookshops in the US and the UK either refused to stock it or faced criticism for selling it. While attending a literary festival in 2022, Rushdie was severely attacked near death. Still, the book becomes a part of the bestseller lists after facing such backlash and challenges.

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8) “Gender Queer: A Memoir” by Maia Kobabe 

Maia Kobabe is the author of Gender Queer: A Memoir, a graphic autobiography published in 2019.  The book was part of the list of books that are prohibited or contested for 2020.  It is a graphic novel that poses several challenges regarding the text’s contents and their visual representation. According to the American Library Association, the novel was banned from a majority of library shelves in 2021 and 2022. It narrates the story of Kobabe’s journey from childhood to growing up. Further, it contains the author’s investigation of sexuality and gender equality which led to her identifying as nonbinary.

Gender Queer discusses issues including asexuality, gender dysphoria, and gender euphoria using both narrative and images. They start describing their journey from childhood to the present, including numerous important moments in their lives such as their first period, knowing about what transgender is, and many more. These days, publications about sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and others that are targeted towards teenagers and young adults are the main targets of current challenges and bans.

9) “Maus” by Art Spiegelman

American cartoonist Art Spiegelman wrote Maus, also known as Maus: A Survivor’s Tale. It was serialized from 1980 to 1991 and is a graphic novel. It shows Spiegelman asking his father about how he survived the Holocaust. The content uses postmodern artistic techniques and depicts Jews as mice, other Germans as cats, and Poles as pigs. However, it was the first graphic novel to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

The Holocaust is a challenging topic to teach in school. This is particularly true when novels describe and illustrate the Nazis’ killing of Jews and other groups. This is the reason why Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” is such a popular banned book. It applies a comic book approach to convey and demonstrate the cruelty done to people by other people.  As is often the case, the backlash surrounding the book led to an increase in sales for “Maus” after a Tennessee school commission attempted to ban it in 2022.

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10) “Sold,” by Patricia McCormick

Patricia McCormick published her book Sold in 2006. It is the story of a young Nepalese girl who was being sold and forced into sexual slavery. It became an award-winning novel, and later it became the most controversial and banned book in the United States. PEN America, a free speech organization, gathered data showing that Sold is under the ban in at least 11 school districts across six states. In total, Sold ranks as the sixth most banned book countrywide. Furthermore, the book was banned the most in Florida. 

Parents have expressed concern that the book is too explicit with sexual content like pornography, but McCormick contradicts this claim. Conservative organizations, such as  Moms for Liberty and other parental rights groups, have organized ban campaigns across the state, removing books from the shelves of libraries and recruiting representatives for school boards. races in attempts to change curricula. The American Library Association reports that the initiatives have led to a record number of book bans and challenges in 2022.

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Conclusion

The United States has a history of banning and challenging books which indicates the tension between the principles of freedom of expression and societal norms. Though all the books mentioned in the blog have faced critical challenges due to their abusive language themes, sexually explicit content, or racial discrimination, some of them have provoked thought and inspired change among readers. They continue to shape cultural discourse and influence readers. Time after time, they are also the most-sold books, some have won awards as well. However, despite all these positive and negative impacts, these books remain the most banned books in the US.

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