10 of the Most Controversial Books of All Time

Les Listes is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

What elements makes a book controversial? However, the written language is able to conjure up a lot of emotions in people. In addition, the meaning of words tend to change over time, making a book that was once harmless into a controversial book. Concepts change sometimes and the tolerance towards some words is altered for better or worse. Therefore, when categorizing any book as “Most controversial books of all time”, it is important to consider the time period that it came out.

#10: The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie was first published in 1988. Before publishers even shipped the book, it was creating controversy. In fact, Islamic believers were sending threats to bookstores and publishers  around England. Riots arose and protesters threw copies of this book into the fire. It got so bad that the publishing company of the book had to hire more security for their building after receiving too many death threats to their staff.

In fact, one the previous leader of the Islamic Religion issued a “fatwa” (no trial was needed to comply with this request), or death sentence against the author of the book.^[1]The Guardian – Looking back at Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses Things got even worse a year later when the book reached the United States. Some bookstores with the book were bombed and more riots occurred within the American Islamic community. According to Islam, the author wrote blasphemous references in his book.

#9: Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Many of us feel a sense of intrigue when we search for books in a bookstore. We like to check the authors and the covers from different topics. One of the “perks” that a reader often has while reading a book is the personal involvement in the story that we feel as the story progresses. We empathize with the main characters and react according to the events described in the book. In Lolita, this went very far. The reader finds out that the main character is a pedophile and has strong feelings towards his step-daughter.^[2]Slate – Lolita at 50 It was first published in 1955.

However, even today, there are many people who have problems with this book. Ironically, part of the “success” of this book came from the numerous bans it received in different countries (like Russia, Great Britain, and France). Other countries also restricted it. For example, in the United States, it was came out three years after first publishing. Because of the restrictions, people were more intrigued to know what the book was about.^[3]The Times of India – 55 years later, Lolita still remains controversial

#8: Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller

Henry Miller’s country of birth banned his book Tropic of Cancer before it even came out. Back in the day, the only way to obtain this piece of literature was to snag a copy in France. The author, although praised by other famous writers, like George Orwell and Edmund Wilson, was constantly broke due to the bans on his book that made it nearly impossible to obtain any profit from his work.^[4]New York Public Library – Banned Books Week: Tropic of Cancer by Henry Miller

The book was first published in 1934. However, it took 27 years for it to finally arrive in the United States. It sold around one million copies, but was the book still went to court multiple times due to its obscene content. Finally, in June 1964, the courts ruled that the book was not considered “pornography” but rather literature.^[5]Flavorwire – Still Scandalous: ‘Tropic of Cancer’ 50 Years Later

#7: The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown

Could it be that the formula to obtain quick success around a book is to create a fictional book, put in doubt the core beliefs of any religion and call them “facts” from the start? Well, this is exactly what Dan Brown did when he first published The Da Vinci Code in 2003. The book contains a lot of historical facts. However, it is like one of those stories that are “based on a true story”, that the reader ends up finding out later was not true to begin with. Regardless of the author’s motives, the media tried to “spice things up” by getting a response from the Catholic Church. For the most part, the church mostly stayed silent, or just called out their believers to ignore the contents of the fictional story and move on.^[6]Cracking The Da Vinci Code

#6: Lady Chatterley’s Lover, by D.H. Lawrence

Lady Chatterley’s Lover was controversial because it had obscene language. Furthermore, it described an adulterous relationship between an upper-class woman and a working-class man. However, what really made it famous was that unlike previously banned controversial books during 1960 (when it was first published in Great Britain), this book won a trial to prevent it from getting banned in England. As such, it helped to lower the level necessary to keep a book from being banned.^[7]The Guardian – The trial of Lady Chatterley’s Lover There was a famous phrase that used in such trials to ban similar controversial books. It went like this, “would you be able to share this kind of controversial books to young boys or girls, knowing the words that contain”. However, by winning its trial, the book helped prevent the freedom of speech in literature.

#5: Ulysses, by James Joyce

Ulysses, by James Joyce, had its own tumultuous journey before finally being accepted by English speaking countries. From 1914 to 1921 the writer divided the book into parts and published them in magazines for the United States. However, due to its obscene language a trial took place banning the parts containing Ulysses. Meanwhile, while simultaneously fighting the ban, he went ahead and printed the first complete edition in France.

The assigned court to the trial had a lot of delays. However, eventually, the contents of the book were studied and legalized in the United States. The courts only made some minor corrections before publishing. Having permission to sell the book, James Joyce was able to obtain another publisher. He prepared around 10,000 copies to sell. However, there was a mistake. The printed copies had lots of grammatical mistakes due to them not being the author’s final edition. Shortly afterwards, the second edition arrived with the corrections and the novel was “finally” ready to the public (as the author intended to be).^[8]Joyce – 75 Years Since First Authorised American Ulysses !

#4: The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger

Similar to other controversial books on this list, The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger, is more controversial for its associations to certain people than the contents of the actual book. For example, couple of murderers (Robert John Bardo’s murder of Rebecca Schaeffer; and Mark David Chapman’s shooting of John Lennon) are associated with the book.^[9]The Guardian – The Catcher in the Rye at 60: Ten things you should know Although it’s an interesting coincidence, it doesn’t mean that this book is loved and/or creates murderers. Similar to cases of the school shooting and video games, causation and correlation are not necessary related.

#3: Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert

The common book and movie trope is at the end we see a happy couple and the famous phrase “And they lived happily ever after”. Well, you might imagine the controversy that occurred in Madame Bovary, by Gustave Flaubert, a French writer. In the book it describes a married woman with explicit descriptions of adultery with different men. What made this even more controversial is that Flaubert wrote the book in 1782. Especially at the time, this would put it at the top of an controversial books list. Around that time, the success of every person relied (mostly) on their marriage. It was important that the union of two people improved both families and therefore the society around them. Adultery, even though present, was still a delicate subject to talk about (or even worse, write about) freely.^[10]The New Yorker – Why the Marriage Plot Need Never Get Old

#2: The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell

What can be worse than previous examples of controversial books with obscene language or religion controversy? How about a book that actually has recipes to elaborate dangerous bombs? In 1971, William Powell at the age of 19, published The Anarchist Cookbook. The book contained the information to build bombs, make weapons, manufacture drugs, and encourage acts of violence. Ironically, Powell tried to ban his own book in his late years but had no success in the task. He explained that at the time he wrote the book, he was “fed up with the government” over the Vietnam War and created a “manual” to fight the oppression of the “system”.

#1: The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier

Written for young adults and adults in mind, The Chocolate War created polemic soon after its publishing in 1974. Some parents viewed the contents of the book as inappropriate for their kids due to violence, obscene language, and a masturbation scene. Even though this book didn’t have a “banned period” like some of the examples in this list, it was still not welcome in any school or some libraries.^[11]AV Club –Robert Cormier’s The Chocolate War is a much-banned, malevolent gem