4 Classic Books You Won’t Believe Were Banned in American Schools
They are still required reads in many schools
For students returning to school, it’s easy to assume that literature is comprised of sterile works written by dead white guys that no longer apply today. However, one of the purposes of art is to provoke a reaction, and literature is no exception. Some school districts, in fact, have banned masterpieces because officials considered them too influential for impressionable youngsters to consume. Here are four books that you won’t believe were banned.
1. Diary of a Young Girl
Anne Frank’s classic re-telling of her experience in the Nazi-held Netherlands is one of the most well-known, and arguably most compelling, of the Holocaust survivor’s accounts. The book was banned primarily because of sexually explicit passages; however, Alabama had a unique reason for not allowing Diary in schools: it was a “real downer.” Apparently, Alabama only believes in teaching upbeat and optimistic stories about racism, genocide, and concentration camps.
