Today Shortlist.com revealed a list of the top 10 banned books. One thing that is most controversial in the current world of books is sex, following the release of Fifty Shades of Grey, people are either aspiring to write novels that are comparable to this or creating noise about why they are wrong. Over time we have seen books generate a fuss about religion, politics, violence, child molestation, the list is endless. Are authors trying to achieve the shock tactic with books nowadays?
Books on Female First
1. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
Ireland was opposed to having this on shelves in their shops due to the graphic scenes of childbirth as did the US who felt it was entrenched with too much negativity. This resulted in it being removed from the school curriculum.
2. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (1939)
This book received critical acclaim upon its release however in the US was banned and literally fuelled the fire for many of its population as they burned copies in local communities. The Americans were disgusted by how Steinbeck described the poor; however he argued that this was actually a diluted telling of what was being witnessed by families of these communities.
3. Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller (1934)
George Orwell deemed it ‘the most important book of the mid 1930’s’, however this was contested by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court of Justice Michael Musmanno who believed that cancer should not be the subject of a novel.
4. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
This was banned in the USA as it was believed it was not appropriate for their children to have access to reading such themes. It is now ranked in the American Library Association’s 100 Most Frequently Challenged books.
5. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie (1988)
It was thought by Islamists that Rushdie’s interpretation of Islam was one that was irreverent. The punishment for reading the book was 15 months in prison and in Japan fines were incurred for selling the English language copy. In the US it was sold in most shops until there were death threats put upon the owners and they then removed them from their stock.
6. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky (1999)
As with Slaughterhouse Five, this book also features in the American Library Association's top 10 most challenged books list for its sexual content with particular reference to its homosexual themes. It has been taken out of many libraries in the US for this reason.
7. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe (1958)
This was banned in Malaysia for scrutinizing colonialism and the results of this.
8. American Psycho by Brett Easton Ellis (1991)
Adapted for film audiences, starring Christian Bale, watchers of this film might have an understanding of why it was banned. When it was firs released in 1991, it was considered less than appropriate for children, which led to a fall in sales. It was banned in Canada and Queensland and only over 18s can buy it in the other states.
9. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka (1915)
Kafka’s novels have been banned under the Nazi and Soviet regimes and well as in Czechoslovakia due to his refusal to write in Czech. He only writes in German.
10. Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov (1955)
In 1955 the book was taken off the shelves by order of the Home Office as it was classed as pornographic. In 1956, the French banned it, however it was never banned in the US, nor did it raise any concern.
Female First Lucy Walton