Comments on: Top 15 Banned Literary Classics

By: Alexis Haakon

Alexis Haakon — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 21:00:21 +0000

Just FYI, Little Black Sambo, that charming children’s story, was unfortunately named, but is not about negroes, but Indians {no, not ‘native Americans’}. There are no tigers in Africa – they’re higher up, in India and north thereof.
I’ve read and enjoyed almost all the books on your list, but found J.J.’s Ulysses unreadable. Homer’s was better. Agree Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn should be included.
Lord of the Flies {one of the devil’s many names} was meant to be horrible; the film was just as horrible. A Clockwork Orange was meant to be violent – that’s what it was about! Difficult to read, though, because one had almost to read the glossary to grok it all.
Just waded through Anna Karenina, and can understand why it was so popular back then {mid 19C}; it was their Peyton Place. Not even interested in attempting War & Peace.

By: Jack

Jack — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 23:11:51 +0000

Tropic of Cancer > all listed, if not in every context then at least for the sake of including the most “bannable” material

By: BasilThe Angry

BasilThe Angry — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 07:08:14 +0000

This list is flawed. Why were these books banned? Why were they unbanned eventually? During what spans of time were they banned? You have NO details?

Do you expect me to just know the answers to these questions? If I knew them then why would I have clicked on this list in the first place? Yes I’ve read many of these but for instance, Ulysses, I’ve never read and your description gives NO examples of why it even could have been banned. (And in that same vein, banned from what exactly? School libraries, public ones? Book shops?)

Yet another good concept for a list really, REALLY, poorly executed.

By: David Hopkins

David Hopkins — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 20:24:04 +0000

We read “Lord of the Flies” in grade eleven. It was horrible.

By: Joe.m(for lack of something clever)

Joe.m(for lack of something clever) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 07:01:32 +0000

when i saw the title i thought that this list would be all hese black market-esk(?) books, but they turned out to be some of my favorite books for the most part.

By: Austin

Austin — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:40:54 +0000

Was His Dark Materials (the Golden Compass, The subtle Knife, The Amber Spyglass) banned? i know the catholic church flailed and kicked and screamed when it came out, and I read this books and they are great!

Sorry If this wasnt banned, but if not i still suggest reading it!

By: Megan

Megan — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 18:34:28 +0000

We’ve had to read the majority of this list in high school. My absolute favorite is Brave New World followed by Catcher in the Rye.

By: rm

rm — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:32:50 +0000

Hey, you don’t say why most of them were banned. Hmm. A few I get why, but most I’ve read, and most of those because they were on “the list” of classics given to me in (public) school.

By: SallySweet

SallySweet — Wed, 20 May 2009 20:04:45 +0000

Currently working on Catch 22, but I can’t really get in to it. I’ve read and/or own most of these books. I’ve read Uncle Tom’s Cabin, The Crucible, Of Mice and Men, and Huck Finn. I own 1984, Catcher in the Rye, and The Scarlett Letter…but haven’t read them yet.

Animal Farm and Farenheit 451 should be on here, too.

By: Patton

Patton — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 01:58:11 +0000

Huckleberry Finn is such a great book, but so blatantly racist. Its sad for people not to understand that that was how kids and authors thought and wrote back then.
Lord of the Flies is a horrible book. I couldn’t stand it.