In a world where sex, violence, and murder rule the television airwaves, it's hard to imagine that classic books such as Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird and John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath were ever banned for objectionable content. Read on to find out why the following seemingly innocent tales have been banned in various locales.
1. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ray Bradbury reportedly wrote this novel in the basement of the UCLA library -- on a pay-by-the-hour typewriter. Ironically, the story examines censorship, but unbeknownst to Bradbury, his publisher released a censored edition in 1967, nixing all profanity so the book would be safe for distribution in schools. A school in Mississippi banned the book in 1999 for the use of the very words Bradbury insisted be put back into the book when it was reprinted.
 The Diary of Anne Frank is just one of many surprising banned books. |
Who wants to look for Waldo when there are so many more interesting things to see in the pages of these colorful, oversized children's books? Waldo-mania swept the country in the mid-1990s, but schools in Michigan and New York wiped out Waldo because "on some of the pages there are dirty things." These "dirty things" included a topless lady on the beach. It's just a hunch, but if you can find her, Waldo's probably not far away. . . .
3. The American Heritage Dictionary
As recently as 1987, a school district in Anchorage, Alaska, went straight to the source of their problem and banned the whole darned dictionary. They didn't approve of the inclusion of certain slang usage for words like bed and knockers.
4. The Complete Fairy Tales of The Brothers Grimm by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm
Those Grimm boys sure knew how to push the envelope. Most of the fairy tales we learned as kids are watered-down versions of classic Grimm stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Gretel. In the original works, however, there was more blood and fewer happy endings. Concerned parents have been contesting the literary merit -- and age-appropriateness -- of the Grimm Brothers' work since it was first published in the early 1800s.
On the next page, you'll find the continuation of our list of surprising banned books.
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