All information taken from the Banned Books Week Resource Guide 2001.
Click on the underlined titles to check shelf location of books in the Plymouth Library
The Stupids Dieby Harry Allard. Pulled from the Howard Miller Library in Zeeland in 1998 along with the three other books in the Stupids series because children shouldn't refer to anyone as "stupid"
Young, Gay and Proud by Sasha Alyson. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because the book promoted acts in violation of Michigan law and "appears to qualify as obscene material"
Rules for Radicals by Saul Alinsky. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book holds "Lucifer or the Devil up as a role model"
Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel. Challenged at the Berrien Springs High School for use in classrooms and libraries (1988) because the novel is "vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit"
The Sexual Revolution by David L. Bender and Gary E. McCuen; Sex Is for Real by Willard Dalrymple; Population, Evolution and Birth Control by Garrett Hardin; Foolproof Birth Control by Lawrence Lader; Conception and Contraception by Jean C. Lipke; Men and Women by Peter Sweedloff. All sex education books were removed from the Brighton High School library in 1977.
The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. Burned and prohibited in Italy (1497, 1559). Banned in U.S. (1926-1931) as an "obscene, lewd and lascivious book of indecent character" Seized by Detroit police in 1934; banned in Boston (1935).
View from Another Closet by Janet Bode. Challenged at the Niles Community Library because the book is "a devious attempt to recruit our young people into the homosexual lifestyle"
Our Bodies, Ourselves by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Challenged at the Three Rivers Public Library in 1982 because it "promotes homosexuality and perversion"
Hard Feelings by Don Bredes. Challenged in Flat Rock (1982) because of "objectionable" language.
Father Christmas by Raymond Briggs. Removed from all elementary classrooms in Holland (1979) after parents complained that the work portrays Santa Claus as having a negative attitude toward Christmas.
Memoires (History of My Life) by Casanova de Seingalt. Original manuscript confined to the German publisher's safe in 1820 and never published in unexpurgated form until the twentieth century. Seized by police in Detroit in 1934.
Wilt by Wilt Chamberlain. Banned from the Gaylord Middle School library in 1975 because pupils "are more interested in learning how to dribble and shoot" than in his off-court activities.
New Dictionary of American Slang by Robert L. Chapman. Restricted in the Walled Lake School District (1994) because "this book contains words which might be offensive to the reader"
The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier. Challenged and temporarily removed from the English curriculum in two Lapeer high schools in 1981 because of "offensive language and explicit descriptions of sexual situations in the book" Removed from the Grosse Pointe School District library shelves (1995) because it fosters disobedience.
You Cannot Die by Ian Currie. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book is "not only offensive to our faith, but it is a dangerous teaching to children today when the suicide rate is so high"
The Witches by Roald Dahl. Challenged, but retained, at the Battle Creek Elementary School Library (1994) despite protests from a parent who said the book is satanic.
Matilda by Roald Dahl. Retained on the shelves in the Grand Rapids school libraries (1993) but not allowed to be read in the elementary classrooms. Ten parents complained about the book, calling it offensive and "appalling in its disrespect for adult figures and children"
Garfield: His Many Lives by Jim Davis. Moved to the adult section of the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 after patrons requested that children be denied access.
Earth Science. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because it "teaches the theory of evolution exclusively. It completely avoids any mention of Creationism...The evolutionary propaganda also underminds [sic] the parental guidance and teaching the children are receiving at home and from the pulpits"
The Homosexual by Alan Ebert. Challenged at the Niles Community Library in 1982 because "it belongs on the shelves of a porno shop"
Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. Challenged, but retained, at the Lapeer West High School library (1993) because the book portrays lesbian love and sex as normal.
Complete Illustrated Book of Divination and Prophecy by Walter Brown Gibson. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book deals with witchcraft.
Go Ask Alice. Removed from school libraries in Kalamazoo (1974) and Saginaw (1975) due to "objectionable" language and explicit sexual scenes. Removed from the school library shelves in Kalkaska (1986) because the book contains "objectionable language"
Where's Waldo? By Martin Handford. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because "on some of the pages there are dirty things" such as a tiny drawing of a woman lying facedown on the beach wearing a bikini bottom but no top.
Sir Gawain and the Loathly Lady by Selina Hastings. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989. The patron requested the library to "white out the swearing” which appears on page 16. The objectionable words were "God Damn You"
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne. Challenged in 1961 by parents in Michigan claiming that it was "pornographic and obscene" They demanded that the book be taken out of the curriculum, but the request was denied. Challenged again in Michigan in 1977 by a parent and principal objecting to the inclusion of the novel in the high school curriculum because it dealt with a clergyman's "involvement in fornication" The book was removed from classroom use and from the recommended reading list.
Katie Morag and the Tiresome Ted by Mairi Hedderwick. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because on the last page of the story "the mother's sweater is open to fully expose her breast" The library was asked to cover the drawing with a marker.
Call Me Charley by Jesse Jackson. Parents of a black fourth-grade student filed suit against Grand Blanc school officials in 1979 after a teacher read this title to their son's class. The work includes a white character who calls a black youth "Sambo," "nigger", and "coon"
The Gay Report by Carla Jay and Allen Young. Challenged at the Niles Community Library in 1982 for homosexual content.
Living Room by June Jordan. Banned from the Baldwin High School library (1990) because it contains profanity and racial slurs.
Andersonville by MacKinlay Kantor. Withdrawn from the eleventh grade reading list at the Whitehall High School in 1963 because the book "wasn't fit for high school students” due to objectionable language.
Tell It to the King by Larry King. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because it is "an insult to one's intelligence” and contains foul language.
Sex by Madonna. The mylar-wrapped, spiral-bound book of photographs of the exhibitionist pop star Madonna in revealing and erotic poses raised challenges across the country soon after its release in October 1992. In several cities political leaders exerted pressure on libraries not to acquire it, or to restrict circulation of the book. The Ingham County library board declined to ban the controversial book after it was challenged there.
Miss Flora McFlimsey's Easter Bonnet by Marianna. Challenged at the Troy Public Library in 1991 because it contained an offensive and unflattering illustration of a black doll.
Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane.
Kearsley school officials (2000) deleted six sentences describing a homosexual
molestation scene in the book after some parents found it offensive.
Zork: The Malifestro Quest by Eric Meretzky. Challenged at the Jeffers Elementary School in Spring Lake (1990) because it "is a disgrace to the Lord and to the Spring Lake school system"
Fallen Angels by Walter Dean Myers. Removed as required reading in the Livonia public schools (1999) because it contains "too many swear words"
Freddy's Book by John Neufeld. Challenged, but retained, at the Lake Fenton Elementary School library (1989) because of the book's descriptions of genitalia, menstruation, erections, sexual intercourse, and wet dreams. The book was, however, put on a restricted shelf that requires a parent to check the book out.
Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara. Declared not mailable by the U.S. Department of the Post Office in 1941 because of "obscene language” and remained on the Post Office's list of banned books through the mid-1950s. The novel also attracted the attention of the National Organization for Decent Literature (NODL), a Roman Catholic organization that identified "objectionable” literature and advised members against reading "offensive” and "objectionable” novels. In 1953, NODL placed the novel on their blacklist. As a result, it was banned from sale in Port Huron and Detroit.
Ten North Frederick by John O'Hara. Banned by the Detroit Police Commissioner in 1957, part of a series of bans and seizures spread over a two-year period (1957-1958).
Scary Poems for Rotten Kids by Sean O'Huigin. Challenged in the Livonia schools (1990) because the poems frightened first-grade children.
A Day No Pigs Would Die by Robert Newton Peck. Banned from the St. Lawrence School in Utica in 1997 because of a passage involving pig breeding. The teacher quit her job over the banning of the novel.
The Lord is My Shepherd and He Knows I'm Gay by Troy Perry. Challenged at the Niles Community Library in 1982 because of the book's "pornographic” nature.
King Stork by Howard Pyle. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because it "would encourage boys beating girls when the drummer beats the enchantress with a switch until she becomes a good princess" Unavailable to children unless they have written permission form their parents to check out the book or to read it in the library.
Chopper Cycle by Ruth Radlauer and Ed Radlauer. Challenged at the Morrish Elementary School in Swartz Creek (1982) because of its negative approach to law enforcement.
Encyclopedia of Witchcraft and Demonology by Russell H. Robbins. Removed from the Detroit Public School libraries (1994) after a complaint that the book was "obscene, perverse, and immoral"
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling. Restricted to fifth- through eighth-graders who have written parental permission in the Zeeland schools (2000). No future installments can be purchased and teachers are prohibited from reading the books aloud in class. The book was considered objectionable because of the intense story line, the violence, the wizardry, and the sucking of animal blood. Removed from the Bridgeport Township public schools (2000) because it promotes witchcraft.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark and More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz. Challenged as "objectionable” and "disgusting” but retained on Harper Woods school district reading lists (1995). Challenged in the Livonia schools (1990) because the poems frightened first-grade children.
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. Removed from the required reading list in Middleville due to language and content.
Witches and Their Craft by Roland Seth. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book contains information about witches and the devil.
The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare. Banned from classrooms in Midland in 1980 due to anti-Semitism.
Strange Fruit by Lillian Smith. Bookstores in Boston and Detroit (1944) removed the book from sale. The book's distributor was charged in 1945 under Massachusetts laws governing obscene material, in that he had distributed a publication that was "obscene, indecent, impure, or manifestly tend to corrupt the morals of youth" The court found the bookseller guilty due to the fact that the novel might promote "lascivious thoughts and arouse lustful desire,” which outweighed any artistic merit of the novel.
The Headless Cupid and The Witches of Worm by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. Retained in the Grand Haven school libraries in 1990 after a parent objected to the books because they "introduce children to the occult and fantasy about immoral acts. The Headless Cupid was a Newbery Award winner.
Arthur Ford: The Man Who Talked with the Dead by Allen Spraggett. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book deals with witchcraft.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Banned in Grand Blanc (1979) due to "profanity and using God's name in vain" Challenged at the Berrien Springs High School (1988) because it contains profanity.
The Haunted Mask by R.L. Stine. Challenged, but retained, at the Battle Creek Elementary School library (1994) despite protests from a parent who said the book is satanic.
Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings by D.T. Suzuki. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because "this book details the teachings of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose this as his religion"
Probing the Unknown: From Myth to Science by Stephen Tchudi. Challenged in the West Branch-Rose City school district in 1995 because it discusses "occult beliefs"
Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo. Challenged in Michigan schools in 1977 for too much profanity, gruesome details, expressing unpatriotic and anti-American ideas, and sexual passages.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain. Challenged at the Berrien Springs High School (1988) because of racially offensive passages, racial slurs, and dialect. Temporarily pulled from Portage classrooms in 1991 after some black parents complained that their children were uncomfortable with the book's portrayal of blacks.
Public Smiles, Private Tears by Helen van Slyke. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because the book is "pornographic” with no redeeming value.
Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut. Banned in Rochester because it "contains and makes references to religious matters” and thus fell within the ban of the establishment clause (separation of church and state). An appellate court upheld its usage in the school in Todd v. Rochester Community Schools, 41 Mich. App. 320, 200 N. W. 2d 90 (1972). Challenged in the Monroe public schools (1989) as required reading in a modern novel course for juniors and seniors due to language and portrayal of women.
The Color Purple by Alice Walker. Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw in 1989 because it was "too sexually graphic for a 12-year-old". Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
The Front Runner by Patricia Nell Warren. Challenged at the Three Rivers Public Library in 1982 because it "promotes homosexuality and perversion"
The Right to Lie by Robert L. Wolk and Arthur Henley. Challenged at the Plymouth-Canton Community Schools (1987) because the book is "a psychological guide to everyday deceit"
Black Boy by Richard Wright. Removed from classroom use in Michigan (1972) after parents objected to the book's sexual overtones and claimed that it was unsuitable for impressionable sophomores.
Native Son by Richard Wright. Challenged at the Berrien Spring High School for classroom and library use because the novel is "vulgar, profane, and sexually explicit” (1988).
