Everyone loves a controversy, especially when it comes in the form of a book. Some books were considered so controversial that they were banned in certain countries. Books have banned throughout history by various governments for a variety of reasons due to racy subject matter, whether it be blatantly controversial or subtle references to sensitive topics. While a book may be considered controversial to one person, it may come across as totally innocent to another – either way, we can all agree that controversy sells and always makes for a good topic of discussion.
Here’s a list of some of the most talked about, controversial books in the United States:
- 1984 by George Orwell
- Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret by Judy Blume
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- The Witches by Roald Dahl
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline L’Engle
So, do you enjoy reading a controversial book? What are some of your favorites? Why do you think certain books are considered controversial and others aren’t? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
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I love reading books that make people give odd looks. I even had one person yell at me about what I read. I couldn't help but laugh.
When I pick a book out I don't really think about whether it's controversial or not, I just decide whether it sounds interesting. A lot of those books you've listed I didn't even think were contreversial, such as Bridge to Terribithia, and A Wrinkle in Time. I guess i could see how The Giver and 1984 would be, however, since they have to do communism and that's a very contreversial subject in general.
I know how some of my friends' parents give lectures about the type of books they shouldn't read, but it doesn't really matter for me. It's not as though all of these books were wirtten to be propagandas, and I try to judge them on the same level as any other books. Hmm... I would've thought The Golden Compass would be on the list.
I like to read controversial books mainly to make an informed decision about the book on my own. I have read many "controversial" books including The Giver, 1984, A Wrinkle in Time, Bridge to Terabithia (not really sure why it is controversial, but I did not like it), the Catcher in the Rye, and many many others. I like to be informed and usually these books have intense themes to them and I love reading "deep" literature.
I don't know if this book is still controversial or not, but Are You There God, It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume was/is one of my most favorite books. I remember reading it when I was REALLY young and wondering what would happen when all of the things that were happening to Margaret would happen to me.
I also loved King and King by Linda De Haan and Stern Nijland. It is a VERY sweet picture book about a prince who falls in love with another prince, instead of a princess. I know this book has been banned a lot, but I think it is an important one.
Oh, Oh, Oh! And Halloween ABC by Eve Merriam, illustrated by Lane Smith is a thrilling, chilling, little beastie book of Halloween poems! It has also been banned, but I recommend it to everyone!
I love reading books that push boundaries. I feel like great works of art are sometimes disturbing and not made to look pretty to appease the viewer. Books like Slaughterhouse Five, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Fahrenheit 451 are controversial but push us toward greater thought and action. I love YA books that do the same. There is nothing greater than an edgy read!
controversial books are great. The all time most known?
The bible
I loved Annie on My Mind by Nancy Garden. I'm pretty sure it was a banned book, and it's pretty controversial. It's about a teenage girl who falls in love with her friend, Annie, and they have to keep their relationship a secret and she gets in trouble at school because of who she's dating and things like that. It's just an overall really good book. It was written in the 80s or somewhere around there, and it was really controversial, because of the book being centered around teenage lesbians. Most books of the time found fault in being gay and blamed it on traumatic experiences from peoples' pasts, but this was one of the first books to say that it was just how you are, which I firmly believe is true. It was a book that was way different than anything of it's time. It's a really great book and I recommend it to everyone.
I loved The Giver when I read it in fifth grade (it made me cry). But I hated the ending because it didn't say what happened. Then I found out there were other books in the series and I loved them also!
I don't like Bridge to Terrabithia because it's so weird but I think it's fine if others read it and enjoy it.
I just can't understand how The Giver could be controversial except that it was published for young readers. It was a little hard to take in at age ten but I really liked it and thought it was worth the read. Now that I'm older, I understand it better and love it even more.
It seems every book is controversial. I think that's because everyone is never going to agree on what's right and wrong. It especially makes it hard to find a good book to read when reviewers just ramble on about what they think of the topic (Hello? We read that in the synopsis.) and don't talk about what the book's actually like except for including that little sentence on the bottom, "Overall, this was was a very interesting, very good read that everyone should check out!"
Little thing I just thought of: controversial books are the ones that seem to become classics and are read in schools.
I'm with Lyon; I thought the all-time most controversial book was The Bible.
Controversial books are usually good books, I've found. Some of the books on that list are my favorite books, and when reading them, I didn't think of them as controversial; they were just storybooks waiting to be read! It's like how Harry Potter books are despised by some just because of the idea of "magic," and loved by others because they like the story and characters and plotline and so on. A person who was a friend of mine used to get angry at me because of the books I read, because many of them included magic or wizards or dragons, and she thought of those as being "Evil." She hadn't read the book, how would she know?
I think it's always a good idea to start a book with an open mind. The people I know who are so against Harry Potter and dragon books really got their opinions from other people, and never dared to find out for themselves. Perhaps if more people stopped listening to the negative opinions, and actually gave things a try for themselves, controversial books wouldn't even have to be called that...
I think that every book ever written will always spark controversy with at least one person...I agree with TechnoPoet about keeping an open mind and not paying attention to negative opinions. My aunt totally bashed my best friend for reading Twilight because she had read a review saying it was evil, and that was wrong of her to do...especially seeing she hadn't read it for herself.