Library Resources: Banned Books: Banned Book Lists &amp; Info About Banned Books

Links to Lists of Challenged and Banned Books

ONLINE ACCESS

Banned and Challeged books available online via GCC Library (selected).

Banned Books from Internet Archive (browse by subject)

Banned Books from the University of Pennsylvia Online Books Page

Other Lists

Frequently Challenged Books - Variouis lists from ALA

Top 10 Most Challenged Books - Annual lists from ALA

Banned and Challenged Classics - From Radcliffe Top 100 Novels of the 20th Century & ALA
(available at GCC Library) ALA provides further information about the challenges to titles on this list.

List of Books by and about Imprisoned, Threatened, Murdered and Jailed Writers - PEN and Amnesty International
(available at GCC Library)

American Library Association annual Field Reports (pdf):

2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10
2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16
2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020

The current field report may be available at GCC Library or via the Canvas Class for select GCC courses.

Books about Various Banned Books

Banned books: defending our freedom to read (multiple editions) by Robert P. Doyle
ISBN: 9780838982792
Documents the thousands of book challenges recorded by the American Library Association. Lists book title as well as dates of and reasons for challenges. Newest edition is available in the Reference collection. Earlier editions are available for checkout.
American Library Association Field Report 2018
Online only. Short pamphlet that documents the hundreds of book challenges recorded by the American Library Association during a year. Lists book title as well as dates of and reasons for challenges. Older editions are also available for download. 2004 - 2018 annual reports are available from ALA webiste.
Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds
ISBN: 9780816082315
Throughout history, tyrants, totalitarian states, church institutions, and democratic governments alike have banned books that challenged their assumptions or questioned their activities. Political suppression also occurs in the name of security and the safeguarding of official secrets and is often used as a weapon in larger cultural or political battles. Literature Suppressed on Political Grounds, Third Edition illustrates the extent and frequency of such censorship in nearly every form of writing.
eBook available through GCC Library
Literature Suppressed on Religious Grounds
ISBN: 9780816062690
Censorship of religious and philosophical speculation is as old as history and as current as today's headlines. Many of the world's major religious texts, including the Bible, the Talmud, the Koran, and others, have been suppressed, condemned, or proscribed at some time.
eBook available through GCC Library
Literature Suppressed on Sexual Grounds
ISBN: 9780816082292
Changing sexual mores have moved many formerly forbidden books out of locked cabinets and into libraries and classrooms. Read about titles suppressed for sexual content.
eBook available from GCC Library
Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds
ISBN: 9780816062713
Literature Suppressed on Social Grounds, Revised Edition discusses writings that have been banned over the centuries because they offended or merely ignored official truths; challenged widely held assumptions; or contained ideas or language unacceptable to a state, religious institution, or private moral watchdog.
eBook available through GCC Library
Books under Fire by Pat Scales
ISBN: 9780838911099
Spotlighting dozens of "hot button" titles written for young children through teens, this book gives a profile of each book that covers its plot, characters, published reviews, awards and prizes, and author resources Recounts past challenges and how they were faced, providing valuable lessons for handling future situations, plus a list of other books challenged for similar reasons.

CENSORSHIP DEBATE: Pro/Con Books

Each of the books listed below provide multiple perspectives on the censorship debate and the limits of free expression. Content in the Opposing Viewpoint titles is also available in the Opposing Viewpoints database. Similar articles may be found in other Contemporary Issues databases.

Banned Books (At Issue)
ISBN: 9781534500754
It may sound shocking, but even in this current age, books are banned all around the globe, but what makes a book inappropriate, even dangerous, for public consumption, and who has the power to deem it so? Some governments ban books as a form of censorship. Even schools can ban books they consider too racy or inappropriate for their students. Does banning books take away our liberties, attempt to erase history, and impose an agenda? Or is the practice actually in our best interests, depending on the circumstance? This balanced volume examines this surprisingly nuanced issue.
eBook available through GCC Library
Censorship (Opposing Viewpoints)
ISBN: 9780737747621
Censorship (Current Controversies)
ISBN: 9780737732771
The essays in this anthology provide contrasting views on the use of censorship and the limits of free speech. A question-and-response format prompts readers to examine complex issues from multiple angles. Topics such as censorship in schools and the censoring of information which could be a threat to national security are examined from multiple viewpoints, giving the reader an inclusive view of both sides of the argument. Important facts, perfect for report writing, are dispersed throughout in boxed insets.
Freedom of Speech on Campus (Current Controversies)
ISBN: 9781534503076
Freedom of speech is a fundamental aspect of American democracy, and university campuses have historically been central to the free speech debate through serving as protectors of this constitutional right. In recent years, campuses have returned to the center of this debate as our notion of what kinds of speech are acceptable and how speech should be controlled continues to develop. With the rise of trigger warnings, designated free-speech zones, and controversial speakers being disinvited from lecturing at universities, the question of whether campuses continue to represent the future of free speech or symbolize its repression has become progressively urgent.
Internet Censorship (Opposing Viewpoints)
ISBN: 9780737766585
This volume examines whether or not the Internet should be censored, who should govern the Internet, what the best ways to fight Internet Censorship are, and which legal measures effectively address Internet Censorship. The viewpoints are selected from a wide range of highly respected sources and publications. Readers are exposed to many sides of a debate, which promotes issue awareness as well as critical thinking. Essay sources include Hillary Clinton, Sally Shipman Wentworth, Nancy Scola, Michael Carbone, and Min Jiang.
Should Music Lyrics Be Censored? (At Issue)
ISBN: 9780737758986
Freedom of expression is something we rely upon to be able to say what we want, when we want, no matter the consequences. This freedom is especially important in Art, where we address our society's strengths and weaknesses through meaningful work. Can this freedom go to far? Can some lyrics in songs create hatred or violence in daily life? This book examines issues related to the censorship of music lyrics. Includes primary and secondary sources from a variety of perspectives; eyewitnesses, scientific journals, government officials, and many others.
The Fifth Estate : extreme viewpoints from alternative media (Opposing Viewpoints)
ISBN: 9781534501775
The influence of what is known as The Fifth Estate, which is viewpoints and journalism generated outside of the mainstream press, has risen thanks to the emergence of blogs and social media. How effective are these alternate sources in raising public consciousness, changing government policy, and stirring grassroots movements? Are they held to the same standards as mainstream journalism? In this age of fake news, WikiLeaks, and the president's so-called war on the press, readers will find the varied and provocative viewpoints that are explained in this book incredibly relevant and enlightening.
When Is Free Speech Hate Speech? (At Issue)
ISBN: 9781534500778
Free speech is guaranteed under the First Amendment. Although it may hurt and offend, hate speech is still free, under most circumstances, but what happens when institutions like universities adopt policies prohibiting offensive speech? Do such policies cause more harm than good? Should measures be taken to curb threatening or insulting comments? Or does that amount to little more than censorship? Is our quest to be polite and politically correct curtailing opportunities to express, learn, and grow? When does free speech become criminally threatening? These questions and more are thoughtfully examined in this important resource.
eBook available through GCC Library

Books about Banned Book Legal Trials

The End of Obscenity : the trials of Lady Chatterley, Tropic of Cancer, and Fanny Hill by Charles Rembar
ISBN: 9781504015677
Up until the 1960s, depending on your state of residence, your copy of Henry Miller's Tropic of Cancer might be seized by the US Postal Service before reaching your mailbox. Selling copies of Cleland's Fanny Hill in your bookstore was considered illegal. Lady Chatterley's Lover by D. H. Lawrence was, according to the American legal system, pornography with no redeeming social value. Today, these novels are celebrated for their literary and historic worth. The End of Obscenity is Charles Rembar's account of successfully arguing the merits of such great works of literature in front of the Supreme Court. Racy testimony and hilarious asides make Rembar's memoir not only a page-turner but also an enlightening look at the American legal system.
eBook available through GCC Library
Dirt for Art's Sake: Books on Trial from "Madame Bovary" to "Lolita" by Elisabeth Ladenson
ISBN: 9780801441684
In Dirt for Art's Sake, Elisabeth Ladenson recounts the most visible of modern obscenity trials involving scandalous books and their authors. What, she asks, do these often-colorful legal histories have to tell us about the works themselves and about a changing cultural climate that first treated them as filth and later celebrated them as masterpieces?
eBook available the GCC Library
Howl on Trial by Bill Morgan (Editor)
ISBN: 9780872864795
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Howl and Other Poems, with nearly one million copies in print, City Lights presents the story of editing, publishing and defending Allen Ginsberg's landmark poem within a broader context of obscenity issues and censorship of literary works. A timeline of literary censorship in the United States places this battle for free expression in a historical context.
Tropic of Cancer on trial : a case history of censorship by Earl R Hutchison
"Mr. Hutchinson's thorough research - including extensive first-hand interviews - and his wide-ranging documentation enhance this dramatic story of undercover and overt censorship, tense courtrooms, legislative debates, and ultimately by a State Supreme Court election that hinged on the Tropic of Cancerverdict. Besides a major author and a dedicated publisher, those who influenced events included lawyers and judges, literary figures, and district attorneys. News-dealers and booksellers, librarians and poets contributed important testimony. Tropic of Cancer was on trial throughout the United States; from 1961 to 1964 there were more than sixty legal proceedings involving this one book." (Amazon)

Key Search Terms and Strategies

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