Top 10 Banned Books of the 20th Century

I just went to the library today,as a matter of fact!

One book I wouldn't be surprised to see banned one day is the Bible! However,with all the different versions coming out,and so many alterations,it's almost the same thing!

Originally posted by Mr Magoo
What about Dr. Wilhelm Reich? Born in Austria in 1897 and arguably Sigmund Freud's star pupil and No.1 assistant.
In 1955, not only was he sent to prison (where he would soon die), quite literally tonnes of his books and papers were burned in public in the States.
Indeed, Reich is still best known for his psycho-analytical writings, although one of his later inventions, 'the Orgone Accumulator' was described by Dr. Theodore Wolfe (a pioneer in psychosomatic medicine) as, "the most important discovery in the history of medicine...Bar none!"

Reich arrived in the US in the 30's and coined the term 'Orgone' for the life energy force that is also known a Chi, Ki, and Prana.

It was this discovery along with his legendary Cloudbuster (should have been called the 'droughtbuster') which motivated the authorities to 'remove' him, although Orgone can be also used to power motors as a free energy source, amongst it's many other potential uses.

I personally consider his arrest and subsequent suppression of his works, the greatest crime that the US of A has ever perpetrated.
Forget the moon hoax and atomic bombs, forget the drug wars and genocides (Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Central America, Iraq Afghanistan etc.), the progression of all humanity has suffered enormously thanks to a small few Yankees during the 40's and 50's.

Check him out...

Yeah! this is a great conspiracy! - the authorities were really scared of this man and his knowledge!

A now dead relative of mine actually had some books by Dr. Wilhem Reich and I read them when I was much younger and found them to be very interesting but also a bit obscure and hard to understand for a kid and therefore I would like to read them again as an adult.

I have since then as an adult tried to hunt down those books by asking all living relatives about them, but noone yet seems to know where they ended up?

(they are probably in someones home or basement/attic, but our older relatives in the family sadly don't know which books I'm talking about) ...

The Catcher in the Rye is another great book for a conspiracy discussion! - it just scary how many murders and assassinations which are connected with this book! - some say it was used as a tool by MK-ULTRA and contain trigger words?

I remember reading it in school, but still today don't know what all the fuzz is about regarding this book - I have some memory of that I found it boring and depressing! - maybe I need to read it again and analyse it further and deeper?

The rest of the books on the OP's list was like many said; mandatory reading when I went to school, and they still are - so I guess the banning and censorship is mainly occuring with schools in the United States and not here in good ol' liberal Europe!

They probably "ban" these books to sell more copies. Cause i too would rather read a "ban" book than a socially acceptable one.

This could get a thread of it's own but since this is going I thought I'd throw it up here. Works either way.

Book Burning

Halloween Book Burning

Has NOT Been Cancelled!

Burning Perversions of God's Word October 31, 2009 7:00 PM - Til

This event is not open to the public. Only our members and those by special invitation from the pastor only. All others are tresspassing. Great Preaching and Singing

We are burning Satan's bibles like the NIV, RSV, NKJV, TLB, NASB, NEV, NRSV, ASV, NWT, Good News for Modern Man, The Evidence Bible, The Message Bible, The Green Bible, ect. These are perversions of God's Word the King James Bible.

We will also be burning Satan's music such as country , rap , rock , pop, heavy metal, western, soft and easy, southern gospel , contemporary Christian , jazz, soul, oldies but goldies, etc.

We will also be burning Satan's popular books written by heretics like Westcott & Hort , Bruce Metzger, Billy Graham , Rick Warren , Bill Hybels , John McArthur, James Dobson , Charles Swindoll , John Piper , Chuck Colson , Tony Evans, Oral Roberts, Jimmy Swagart , Mark Driskol, Franklin Graham , Bill Bright, Tim Lahaye, Paula White , T.D. Jakes, Benny Hinn , Joyce Myers , Brian McLaren , Robert Schuller, Mother Teresa , The Pope , Rob Bell, Erwin McManus , Donald Miller, Shane Claiborne, Brennan Manning, William Young, Will Graham , and many more.

Religious fools if you ask me.

www.amazinggracebaptistchurchkjv.com...

^^^wow i hope they get a burning permit before all that burning.

I met and talked with Allegro when I was living in England years ago. His contentious contention was that what evolved into the Old Testament was largely based on a Sumerian mushroom cult. Psychotropics were the first induced conscious altering state. Much of the older material is actually codified.

Terrence McKenna (sp?) has written a history of civilization from the perspective of drug induced states that is of great interest. Think it's called "Food of the Gods."

I would be surprised if Allegro's works were prohibited anywhere. Maybe some Christian Fundamentalists in Southern States found them blasphemous.

If you look on Bookfinder, Alibris, or various search engines you can usually find a cheap reading copy of almost anything from the latter half of the 20th Century, I've found.

Worh contacting book dealers directly too. Sometimes they have items they fell have so little demand they don't even bother to list them.

As far as reading goes, we are in the Golden Age with the Internet. Everything ever in print is available in some form.

You can even track collectors and bug them to send you scans of the most obscure articles from old magazines. And ther are a huge number of newspapers, some with searchability.

Too bad it all came together at a time when only 5% of the population even read books any more.

Mike

Originally posted by LadySkadi
reply to post by LiveForever8

 

Wow! 8 of the 10 were mandatory reading in my high school English classes. I cannot believe this list... Yes, I would say there is an agenda at work, who's though and why are the questions...
[edit on 26-10-2009 by LadySkadi]

I find it appalling that a person in high school would be exposed to the filth in some of these books. I had a son in elementary school that had required reading a book called "Clan of the Cave Bear" and it was filled with crap about sex, too.

Don't start filling young minds with filth, or you will have adults with filth on their minds all the time.

We try to protect our children from sexual drivel until their minds are mature enough to understand.

When I was a 12 year old, kids 15 were having sex with girls 12. Who gets that crap started? I hate that I send my kids to school to be exposed to that trash at a young age. Used to be that kids were safe to learn at school.

Great post!

I originally had thought Farenheit 451 was a post nazi world. Especially the reference in the original movie when they are burning a library but the policeman picks up and glances at mein kampf (sp?) while burning the rest...


Does Behold a Pale Horse come in at 11 ??
Anarchist Cookbook up there?

the most important out of all those books was 1984.

we can all see now as to what Orwell was saying,

I got Slaughter-House 5 and Catcher in the Rye for Christmas last year... mind blowing! Gotta say they changed my life and I loved them so much I read in like 2 sittings.

I dont see why you would ban, I think the 'obscenity' actually makes it REALISTIC, not this idiotic everythings'all'right # we get in pop music and feel-good-movies.

Whole point of Catcher in the Rye, I thought is to make you feel like you're not alone, everyone feels frightened, and alone, and doesnt know what to do sometimes... I felt like it was written of me really.

Originally posted by Jim Scott
I find it appalling that a person in high school would be exposed to the filth in some of these books. I had a son in elementary school that had required reading a book called "Clan of the Cave Bear" and it was filled with crap about sex, too.

I dont think it is appalling I think it is necessary. Sex and violence and swearing are facts of life... unless you live in a cult community you will be exposed to, might as well be prepared...

I can tell you, with Catholics you grow up one of two ways generally, you end up being the most deeply religious person in the world always concerned about purity, or you end up cynical about religion and do everything thats bad for you.

So many people I know were deprived of things young, well it doesnt just disappear. It all come out at once after no outlet...

reply to post by SaturnFX

Why? well, you can say it...theres no law against it...however, you will most certainly piss off alot of people, and more than likely get a well deserved punch to your teeth. Political correctness is another word for manners, so quit your bitchin that you cant be a crass ape...you can, just dont expect any respect given to you from anyone, and doubtful you even have self respect if your life revolves around the need to publically use non-PC terms.

People are conditioned to blame others for their feelings.
That's how they establish control over others. That is the source of violence.
Today, among the most powerful ideas that contain this threat to freedom are the ideas of "Sharia Law" and "political correctness" (in all its forms).

"You must not say what insults me!" - the very source of evil, a Command (of God), etc. etc...

This is typical "guilt creating" engine, or "karma generator". People start learning to do this, in order to manipulate others, practically from their cradle...


[edit on 28-10-2009 by DangerDeath]

Originally posted by whitewave
The basic premise is that, while "all things are permissible, not all things are edifying" (sorry for the biblical reference but it does sum up the thought).

Don't be sorry for anything like that. Particularly in a thread about censorship. Particularly in a forum devoted to multiple interpretations of reality.

Like Lady Skadi (sp?), I am amused because pretty much all of those books were on the reading lists at my high school also, and my school was old-school Catholic. In fact, there were so many more books... I remember thinking, in Six Days of the Condor when he wonders if he should use the girl's toothbrush, why it mattered after what they had done the night before. My fourteen-year-old head was spinning. I wish I still had that list.

I do take issue with the idea posted earlier about nothing should be banned ever. Take a look at every banned album cover linked in this list from Listverse. Even I found a couple of them beyond foul -- and I am not talking about the Marilyn Manson cover. They are just plain wrong. Bad art gets sensored all the time by when publishers don't pick it up, and it should be.

Now, when it comes to governments doing it, I get a little nervous. Publishers and record labels tend to respond to generally perceived standards, whereas politicians tend to have other reasons for their decisions. At least that is what I see.

Originally posted by LiveForever8
So what are your opinions?

Are we right to censor certain books that contain violence, blasphemy, profanity, sexual material etc…

Are there hidden hands at play here, wanting to deprive us of knowledge and truth?

Does censorship do more damage than good?

I have made my opinions clear (I hope), so what are yours?

The only valid censorship of ideas is the right of people not to listen. ~Tommy Smothers

Peace.

Censorship is no good, never, in my opinion anyway.

People are curious by nature and often it works in the opposite direction. If anyone tries to censor something, in this case books, it gets more appealing to read them.

Even when those books contain and I quote you here; 'violence, blasphemy, profanity, sexual material etc…'

I believe people read what they want to read, they are attracted by certain books for a lot of reasons; still I think curiosity about the content of a book is the main reason.

Why should anyone ban books nowwadays? It's not like we live in the Dark Ages anymore!

Is it good moral to prevent people of reading some books? Even when the content of these books is debatable, I think no book should ever be banned.

Banning is the ultimate end-station, cutting off freedom (to read) in every sense is like clipping the wings of a baby bird.

Freedom to read and to write and to say what you want is one of the highest goods the Western World cultures have.

Censorship is killing the creativity of both: the reader and the writer!!

The only true morality lies in the fact the NO person should FORCE or MANIPULATE another person by censoring anything. Because that would be nothing more then thinking your vision is better then another person's vision.

No view on, in this case, the content of books, is better of worse then someone else's view. It just IS.

The world would be a much better place, in my humble opinion that is, if people stop judging each other about what they do or not do, within the current rules of the law that is.

There are f.e. many movies or videogames that have more visible horific content then any book. Books tickle the imagination, let that never be any different please.

people.uncw.edu...

I'm not sure if this book has ever been burned or banned but it's definately controversial. I love this book; it's raw, gritty, and classic.

reply to post by mmiichael


"I would be surprised if Allegro's works were prohibited anywhere. Maybe some Christian Fundamentalists in Southern States found them blasphemous."


Well prepare to be surprised.. 2 posts down for that very reason..

I have a funny story about this book. About a year ago I stumbled across this book, and for some time had trouble finding it. Well, I finally found it on ebay and got out bid the first time. Now, the second time I found it I won the the auction, however, and the funny part, I accidently sent it to my parents house. Since im in college now, my debit card address is to my folks place back home. Anyways, it was an accident, and it was right around father’s day. I bought my dad that book, Liberty and Tyranny, and I had it sent to the house, however the book I bought, The Sacred Mushroom and The Cross, also got sent to the house at the same time. Now, mind you I am from Texas and from a pretty conservative background, my dad thought that I had bought him the book, The Sacred Mushroom, and he trashed it hahahaha. When I found out I was soooo mad, mainly because it was so hard for me to find, and that I paid around $40 for it. Although, in the end I got a good story out of it.

Glad you mentioned this one. I am very curious to read this.

Ironic.. A man that fought for "free access to evidence for all" would have his thoughts banned from a website that supposedly "Rallies against the status-quo".. Ironic.. and sad..

Love this quote.

Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings. ~Heinrich Heine, Almansor, 1823

As always who is this impartial censor that will do the job. It should only be the Reader.

They tried to shut this man down

Deschner

In process of looking for his website I found this.

Leaving the church in Germany If you want to leave the church in Germany you need to declare it at a state authority. You have to appear at the registry office of your parish (Standesamt) or your county court (Amtsgericht) personally. There you fill in a form and sign it. You require a valid identity card or a passport. A reason is not necessary. It is not possible to leave the church by means of a letter !

\man, I can hardly believe this. It must be the Middle Ages there. Anyone knows what happens if you do not? What are the consequences of Belonging?

Good thread

reply to post by whitewave

There are subject topics that are forbidden by T&C of ATS with which I don't agree should be excluded from discussion but it's not my house. You may put your feet up on the table at your house and whiz in the sink but when you go somewhere else where that is not tolerated, it's not censorship but respecting the rules of someone else.

Well said Friend

Respect is at an all time low IMHO.

Polite conduct has a soothing effect on People. Holding the door for someone, letting someone pass you on the highway, saying Thank You at the store .... It all helps.