Banned Book List: Rebels, Read!

Posted on by under Musings

For you, book rebels, here is a list of this century’s top 100 banned books according to Radcliffe Publishing. Happy reading!


  1. The Great Gatsbyby F. Scott Fitzgerald
  2. The Catcher in the Ryeby J.D. Salinger
  3. The Grapes of Wrathby John Steinbeck
  4. To Kill a Mockingbirdby Harper Lee
  5. The Color Purpleby Alice Walker
  6. Ulyssesby James Joyce
  7. Belovedby Toni Morrison
  8. The Lord of the Fliesby William Golding
  9. 1984by George Orwell
  10. The Sound and the Furyby William Faulkner
  11. Lolitaby Vladmir Nabokov
  12. Of Mice and Menby John Steinbeck
  13. Charlotte’s Webby E.B. White
  14. A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Manby James Joyce
  15. Catch-22by Joseph Heller
  16. Brave New Worldby Aldous Huxley
  17. Animal Farmby George Orwell
  18. The Sun Also Risesby Ernest Hemingway
  19. As I Lay Dyingby William Faulkner
  20. A Farewell to Armsby Ernest Hemingway
  21. Heart of Darknessby Joseph Conrad
  22. Winnie-the-Poohby A.A. Milne
  23. Their Eyes Were Watching Godby Zora Neale Hurston
  24. Invisible Manby Ralph Ellison
  25. Song of Solomonby Toni Morrison
  26. Gone with the Windby Margaret Mitchell
  27. Native Sonby Richard Wright
  28. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nestby Ken Kesey
  29. Slaughterhouse-Fiveby Kurt Vonnegut
  30. For Whom the Bell Tollsby Ernest Hemingway
  31. On the Roadby Jack Kerouac
  32. The Old Man and the Seaby Ernest Hemingway
  33. The Call of the Wildby Jack London
  34. To the Lighthouseby Virginia Woolf
  35. Portrait of a Ladyby Henry James
  36. Go Tell it on the Mountainby James Baldwin
  37. The World According to Garpby John Irving
  38. All the King’s Menby Robert Penn Warren
  39. A Room with a Viewby E.M. Forster
  40. The Lord of the Ringsby J.R.R. Tolkien
  41. Schindler’s Listby Thomas Keneally
  42. The Age of Innocenceby Edith Wharton
  43. The Fountainheadby Ayn Rand
  44. Finnegans Wakeby James Joyce
  45. The Jungleby Upton Sinclair
  46. Mrs. Dallowayby Virginia Woolf
  47. The Wonderful Wizard of Ozby L. Frank Baum
  48. Lady Chatterley’s Loverby D.H. Lawrence
  49. A Clockwork Orangeby Anthony Burgess
  50. The Awakeningby Kate Chopin
  51. My Antoniaby Willa Cather
  52. Howards Endby E.M. Forster
  53. In Cold Bloodby Truman Capote
  54. Franny and Zooeyby J.D. Salinger
  55. The Satanic Versesby Salman Rushdie
  56. Jazzby Toni Morrison
  57. Sophie’s Choiceby William Styron
  58. Absalom, Absalom!by William Faulkner
  59. A Passage to Indiaby E.M. Forster
  60. Ethan Fromeby Edith Wharton
  61. A Good Man Is Hard to Findby Flannery O’Connor
  62. Tender Is the Nightby F. Scott Fitzgerald
  63. Orlandoby Virginia Woolf
  64. Sons and Loversby D.H. Lawrence
  65. Bonfire of the Vanitiesby Tom Wolfe
  66. Cat’s Cradleby Kurt Vonnegut
  67. A Separate Peaceby John Knowles
  68. Light in Augustby William Faulkner
  69. The Wings of the Doveby Henry James
  70. Things Fall Apartby Chinua Achebe
  71. Rebeccaby Daphne du Maurier
  72. A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxyby Douglas Adams
  73. Naked Lunchby William S. Burroughs
  74. Brideshead Revisitedby Evelyn Waugh
  75. Women in Loveby D.H. Lawrence
  76. Look Homeward, Angelby Thomas Wolfe
  77. In Our Timeby Ernest Hemingway
  78. The Autobiography of Alice B. Tokiasby Gertrude Stein
  79. The Maltese Falconby Dashiell Hammett
  80. The Naked and the Deadby Norman Mailer
  81. Wide Sargasso Seaby Jean Rhys
  82. White Noiseby Don DeLillo
  83. O Pioneers!by Willa Cather
  84. Tropic of Cancerby Henry Miller
  85. The War of the Worldsby H.G. Wells
  86. Lord Jimby Joseph Conrad
  87. The Bostoniansby Henry James
  88. An American Tragedyby Theodore Dreiser
  89. Death Comes for the Archbishopby Willa Cather
  90. The Wind in the Willowsby Kenneth Grahame
  91. This Side of Paradiseby F. Scott Fitzgerald
  92. Atlas Shruggedby Ayn Rand
  93. The French Lieutenant’s Womanby John Fowles
  94. Babbittby Sinclair Lewis
  95. Kimby Rudyard Kipling
  96. The Beautiful and the Damnedby F. Scott Fitzgerald
  97. Rabbit, Runby John Updike
  98. Where Angels Fear to Treadby E.M. Forster
  99. Main Streetby Sinclair Lewis
  100. Midnight’s Childrenby Salman Rushdie

41 thoughts on “Banned Book List: Rebels, Read!”

  1. I started reading when I was four. My parents and grandparents had bookcases full. I was never told I could not read a particular book. I did the same with my sons. When I was nine or ten, I went to the library. I wanted to check out a Hardy Boy’s book, but, was told no. Because, they were boys books. I was very hurt, but, clever. I just got my brother to check them out for me. I always found a way. I cannot believe how many of these books I have read. I now own many of them. Keep up the good work.

    Reply

    • Oh, wow. Thanks for sharing your story! I can’t believe they wouldn’t let you check out the Hardy Boys!

      I read all the Nancy Drew then the Hardy Boys. I do remember receiving glares from the librarians but that was only because I was checking out “too many books.” Hah!

      Glad times have changed somewhat. My kids read what they want (as they should). Thanks for dropping by!

      Reply

  2. When I was a beginning teacher I was called on the carpet for having trashy novels in my class library. I hadn’t realized what a terrible influence Hemingway, London, Milne, Huxley, Baldwin, and Sinclair were. I had no choice but to pull them off the shelf.

    Reply

  3. I just finished the book “the absolutely true diary of a part time indian” it is a very interesting read that challenges “white” thought.

    I know that it has been banned in many high schools in the states both from their curriculum’s and libraries.

    I suppose it’s a “risky” read too!

    Reply

    • Ahhhh–Sherman Alexie. He is definitely controversial. I read The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven. Not going to lie–didn’t love it, but I like authors that challenge mainstream perceptions so I’d try him again. Love, Anger and Madness is a great (extremely controversial) book and anything by Danticat.

      Reply

    • Umm, yes, it’s absurd. Since it’s a list of this century’s banned books, some texts remain on more recent banned compilations while others are no longer banned. It’s interesting to read why the majority of them are censored (or challenged) and it’s usually because: the material was considered to be “sexually explicit,” the material contained “offensive language,” or the materials were deemed “unsuited to any age group” (according to the ALA).

      Reply

  7. Really? A lot of these books I read while in Junior High and High School. Others, I’ve found since and thought were great books. Do you know what it is about these books that they are to be found offensive or otherwise banned reading material?

    Reply

  14. They must be off their rockers!!! Charlotte’s Web??? That was my absolute childhood favorite. I must be a rebel, because I’ve read at least half the books on this list.
    Another thing, what in the world are these nuts smoking???
    Madness AND insanity!

    Reply

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