The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky About the Author Stephen Chbosky is best known for this novel, his debut, which came out in 1999. The story struck a chord because it tells truths many teenagers feel but don’t always see reflected in books: growing up, loss, trauma, friendship, self-discovery. Story … Read more
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood About the Author Margaret Atwood, born in 1939 in Canada, is a powerful literary voice whose stories often explore power, oppression, and what it means to resist. Over her long career, she has written poetry, fiction, and essays. Some of her most acclaimed works include The Handmaid’s Tale, … Read more
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, first performed around 1602, has long been one of his most beloved comedies. Yet, like many of his works, it has faced challenges and bans at different times in history. The play’s themes of cross-dressing, mistaken identity, and playful treatment of gender and desire have often unsettled more conservative societies. In … Read more
When Candide was first published in 1759, it was banned almost immediately in France and other parts of Europe. The novel’s sharp satire of religion, government, and optimism scandalized authorities and religious leaders. It mocked clergy, criticized powerful institutions, and questioned whether the world was truly “the best of all possible worlds,” a belief popular … Read more
When The Prince was first circulated in the early 16th century, it immediately caused controversy. Machiavelli’s blunt advice on power, politics, and leadership was seen as dangerous, even shocking. Rather than speaking of morality or virtue, he wrote about ruling with cunning, manipulation, and, when necessary, cruelty. For centuries, the book was banned by the … Read more
When Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was published in 1899, it was met with immediate outrage. The novel was banned from libraries and dismissed by critics as immoral and scandalous. What shocked readers most was its portrayal of a woman seeking independence, sexual freedom, and a life beyond her role as wife and mother. At the … Read more
When Joseph Heller’s Catch-22 was published in 1961, it quickly became both celebrated and controversial. The novel, with its biting satire of war and bureaucracy, was banned and challenged in several schools and libraries in the United States. Authorities objected to its profanity, its sexual references, and its irreverent tone toward military authority. In the … Read more
When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn published One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich in 1962, it marked a shocking moment in Soviet literature. For the first time, a novel openly described life in a Stalinist labor camp. Though it was briefly allowed during Nikita Khrushchev’s “Thaw,” the book was later banned as political winds shifted. Authorities … Read more
When Doctor Zhivago was first completed in the 1950s, it was immediately banned in the Soviet Union. Authorities objected to its portrayal of the Russian Revolution and the years that followed, believing the novel was critical of the Bolsheviks and the Communist regime. The book presented the upheaval not as a glorious triumph but as … Read more
When Salman Rushdie published The Satanic Verses in 1988, it immediately became one of the most controversial books of modern times. The novel was banned in several countries, including India, Pakistan, and Saudi Arabia, because of accusations that it was blasphemous toward Islam. Critics objected to its portrayal of a character inspired by the Prophet … Read more