3 most banned novels of the 20th century 

Are you an avid reader who takes interest in literary controversies? Well, there are many literary works that have been at the centre of several controversies. In fact, they have been both suppressed and censored, time and again, even the ones we identify as classics. It may even come as a surprise to know that renowned authors like George Orwell, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway and Toni Morrison have all experienced banning. 

Factors such as lewd language or reference to it, violent imagery, and challenging political set-up, have often acted as major reasons why books have been banned throughout literary history, despite their definitive value. Here is a list of top 3 most-banned books from the recent times and why each one of them was regarded as controversial.  

The Great Gatsby 
By F. Scott Fitzgerald 
Year of publication: 1925 
The Great Gatsby, better known as Gatsby, is considered to be one of the widely banned books of all time. Set in the Jazz Age of America (in 1920s), the story is about mysterious and promiscuous millionaire Jay Gatsby and his obsession to reunite with his ex-lover Daisy Buchanan, that goes out of hand. The book created controversies because of its strong language, portrayal of alcohol and wild parties. The novel was also blamed for showing the American dream in a bad light, as one of the characters, even after achieving wealth and prosperity was not happy.  

In 1987, the book was challenged and later banned by Baptist College in Charleston, South Carolina, as they considered it to be full of unnecessary adult references as well as vulgar language. Following this incident, in the same year, an entire school district named Bay County in Florida too attempted to ban the book. Fast forward to 2008, an Idaho-based school board also tried to remove this novel on the grounds of profanity and age-inappropriate content. 

To Kill a Mockingbird 
By Harper Lee 
Year of publication: 1960 
Regarded as one of the most frequently challenged books in the USA, this Pulitzer Prize winning novel deals with a coming-of-age tale of racism narrated through the eyes of a young protagonist called Scout. Scout and her brother Jem try to understand, relate and support their father Atticus, a reputed lawyer, tasked with defending a black man falsely accused of molesting a white woman.  

It has been challenged multiple times for its use of obscene language. For instance, in 1966, a school board in Hanover County, Virginia, demanded to remove the book from the high school curriculum citing the novel as ‘immoral.’ Later, in the year 1981, an Indiana-based school demanded the ban of this book as they claimed that the book represented institutionalised racism under the garb of classic literature. Others have also attempted to ban the book over the years considering it contains explicit language as well as graphic discussion of sexuality and rape.  

Nineteen Eighty-Four / 1984 
By George Orwell 
Year of publication: 1949 
This avant-garde socio-political science fiction was way ahead of its time as writer George Orwell wrote about a dystopian future. It was a cautionary tale and was based on what the author considered impending and serious threats from the contemporary and powerful Soviet Union. The story is about the dangers of totalitarian regime where protagonist Winston Smith constantly wrestles with the oppression in his hometown Oceania, where he and his fellow men are constantly under vigilance of the government (Big Brother). However, defying the rules imposed by the Party, he dares to express his individuality.  

In 1981, around the time during which the story is set, a school in Jackson County, Florida challenged it for being pro-Communist (supporting communism, a philosophical and economic ideology), politically twisted and having explicit violent content.