Books have been banned for centuries due to criticism of governments, unpopular religious opinions, dangerous information, and positive depictions of homosexuality. Examples include Lady Chatterley’s Lover, The Da Vinci Code, and books portraying same-sex couples as normal. Some books, such as Suicide mode d’emploi and American Psycho, are banned due to dangerous or violent content.
Governments and other authorities have attempted to ban books for hundreds of years for various reasons. Often these books criticize the government, express opinions that go against a popular religion, or detail how to do something potentially dangerous or fatal. Sometimes, depending on the jurisdiction, illegal books may have strong language or speak favorably of an avoided race or sexual orientation. Often illegal books are officially illegal in one country rather than multiple countries because the book is never published internationally, but there are some instances where the books are illegal in several places. For example, Lady Chatterley’s Lover was once banned in the US, UK and Australia, primarily for vulgar words and previously unprintable detailed sexual acts.
One reason books are commonly banned is because a government or jurisdiction does not like the religious, ethical, or ideological views a certain book is espousing. For example, the government of Lebanon objected to and banned The Da Vinci Code because Catholicism’s religious leaders didn’t like the way it represented Christianity. Lebanon also banned The Diary of Anne Frank because the government disagreed with the book’s positive representations of Jewish culture. In Thailand, a biography of a king titled The King Never Smiles was banned because the government didn’t like his opinion of the king.
In many parts of the world, illegal books include those that show homosexuality in a positive light. Depending on your region and jurisdiction, these books aren’t necessarily illegal, but they are off-limits to children. Many of these books, such as King and King, Daddy’s Roommate and Tango Makes Three, are restricted or banned because they portray a same-sex couple in a positive light. In these books, the same-sex couple often engages in the normal family behavior associated with heterosexual relationships, such as raising a child and doing household chores. In the United States, for example, there is sometimes outrage from parents whose children have been exposed to books that portray homosexually oriented families as normal, often leading to the book being restricted or even banned in some areas.
Some illegal books contain information considered dangerous, antisocial, or violent by a jurisdiction. For example, France banned a book called Suicide mode d’emploi, which explained various ways to commit suicide. Additionally, the book American Psycho, which depicts the murders in the first person, is banned completely in Queensland, Australia, and can only be legally sold to people over the age of 18 in other parts of the country, although the ban is not always enforced. forced.
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