A. L. Kaplan

Tag: challenged books

  • Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read: The Call of the Wild

    Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read: The Call of the Wild

    Exercise Your Rights:

    Read Banned Books

    The Call of the Wild

    Jack London

    This is a fantastic book that depicts the brutality of life during the Alaskan gold rush. At its heart, it is a story of survival. I read all the sequels as well.

    First published in 1903, The Call of the Wild is regarded as Jack London’s masterpiece. Based on London’s experiences as a gold prospector in the Canadian wilderness and his ideas about nature and the struggle for existence, The Call of the Wild is a tale about unbreakable spirit and the fight for survival in the frozen Alaskan Klondike.

    The Call of the Wild has faced bans and challenges primarily due to its depiction of animal cruelty, violence, and its dark, gritty tone. Some historical bans also cited the book’s radical socialist undertones. Although not widely “banned” in the same way as works with political themes, the book’s content is sometimes considered inappropriate for young readers, leading to challenges in schools and libraries.  

  • Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read: A Farewell to Arms

    Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read: A Farewell to Arms

    Exercise Your Rights:

    Read Banned Books

    A Farewell to Arms

    Ernest Hemmingway

    War sucks and this book shows it well. I read this in HS.

    A Farewell to Arms is the unforgettable story of an American ambulance driver on the Italian front and his passion for a beautiful English nurse. Set against the looming horrors of the battlefield – the weary, demoralized men marching in the rain during the German attack on Caporetto; the profound struggle between loyalty and desertion—this gripping, semiautobiographical work captures the harsh realities of war and the pain of lovers caught in its inexorable sweep. Ernest Hemingway famously said that he rewrote his ending to A Farewell to Arms thirty-nine times to get the words right.

    A Farewell to Arms was not a single, sustained ban but faced multiple censorship attempts and bans in different places due to its controversial content, including depictions of premarital sex and the brutal, unflattering portrayal of war, which offended political leaders and moral crusaders. It was banned in Italy for its negative depiction of their military retreat, in the US (Boston) for sexual content, burned by Nazis in Germany, and challenged in US school libraries as a “sex novel”.  

  • Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read 10/7/25

    Banned And Challenged Books I’ve Read 10/7/25

    Exercise Your Rights: Read Banned Books

    1984

    George Orwell

    Another HS classic read. 2+2 does not =5

    This one really stuck with me and feels even more relevant today.

    A masterpiece of rebellion and imprisonment where war is peace freedom is slavery and Big Brother is watching. Thought Police, Big Brother, Orwellian – these words have entered our vocabulary because of George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984. The story of one man’s Nightmare Odyssey as he pursues a forbidden love affair through a world ruled by warring states and a power structure that controls not only information but also individual thought and memory 1984 is a prophetic haunting tale More relevant than ever before 1984 exposes the worst crimes imaginable the destruction of truth freedom and individuality.

    1984 has been challenged or banned for its social and political themes, including explicit depictions of totalitarianism, government surveillance, and rebellion, as well as for its sexual and violent content. Some critics also objected to its perceived pro-communist or anti-communist ideology, even though Orwell intended it as a critique of any authoritarian regime.