Every year, the
American Booksellers Association holds a "Banned Books Week" to call
attention to
censorship issues. Here are some books that were
banned, or very nearly so, during the
80's.
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding. In 1981, the book was challenged by a high school in Owen, NC, because it was "demoralizing inasmuch as it implies that man is little more than an animal."
Biology, by Karen Arms and Pamela S. Camp. In 1985, the Garland, TX, textbook selection committee complained of "overly explicit diagrams of sexual organs."
The American Pageant: A History of the Republic, by Thomas A. Bailey and David M. Kennedy. In 1984, officials in the Racine, WI, School District complained that the book contained "a lot of funny pictures of Republicans and nicer pictures of Democrats."
Zen Buddhism: Selected Writings, by D.T. Suzuki. In 1987, the school system of Canton, MI, was informed that "this book details the teaching of the religion of Buddhism in such a way that the reader could very likely embrace its teachings and choose this as his religion."
1984, by George Orwell. In 1981, the book was challenged in Jackson County, FL, because it was "pro-communist and contained explicit sexual matter."
Slugs, by David Greenburg. In 1985, an elementary school in Escondido, CA, banned the book for describing "slugs being dissected with scissors."