Most Hypocritical Book Bannings

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 27, 2009 11:26 AM CDT
Most Hypocritical Book Bannings
Visitors walk past a poster of the latest "Harry Potter" book on the first day of the annual Hong Kong book fair at the Convention Center in Hong Kong, Wednesday, July 18, 2007.   (AP Photo/Vincent Yu)

Banning a book is a move laden with ironies that can make the banner seem dull-witted in the long run. For National Banned Books Week, 11Points.com lists "the most hypocritical, ignorant, and, based on the content of the books, ironic" bans:

  • Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury: The sci-fi classic is about a future government that bans and burns books. 'Nuff said?

  • The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain: The anti-slavery classic is still banned in places for its use of the word "n-----."
  • The Satanic Verses, Salman Rushdie: A book satirizing "narrow-minded" aspects of Islam inspired Iran's Ayatollah Khomeini to put out a hit on the author.
  • Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl: Banned in Alabama for being "a real downer."
  • The Harry Potter series, JK Rowling: Religious watchdog groups outlawed a series that teaches "love, understanding, and tolerance."
For more, click the link below.
(More literature stories.)

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