Works of art have always been met with harsh criticism. Adult themes in movies and television have led to content rating systems. Similarly, parents everywhere have pointed angry fingers at violence in video games. It’s also not uncommon for folks to say the same about a piece of music. The written word hasn’t been immune to this blaming of the arts and has certainly seen its fair share of fear-induced censorship.
If a book is deemed controversial, it can be challenged, and if that challenge is successful, it can be banned. Books ranging from The Bible and “The Communist Manifesto” all the way to seemingly innocent stories like “Green Eggs and Ham” and the “Harry Potter” series have been met with challenges, or even been banned. It seems rather extreme, but it happens to more books than you’d think.
We’ve put together a list of the most feared books of all time in the infographic below. It includes classics, children’s literature, and probably a few names you’ll recognize from your high school reading list. Some of the titles will surprise you, but we’d bet that their banned or challenged status will make you that much more eager to read them.
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