Lolita, Doctor Zhivago, A Clockwork Orange, Justine, 120 Days of Sodom, Incest, even the Harry Potter series have one thing in common: they all caused controversy for different reasons, and were even banned at the time.

I enjoy reading these types of books. Controversial books bring us what the non-controversial books don't: a harsh, even painful at times, take at reality.

So, this is a thread made to discuss controversial books, whether you've enjoyed or hated them, recommendations, etc.

(Inspired by but current "Got Issues?"

one of my favorite books is "the doors of perception" by aldeous huxley. the book inspired jim morrison and is the basis of their bands name "the doors"

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Go ask Alice was a book that i really enjoyed. Lots of people don't like to except reaility, so they dont like it. Adults in paticular.

I read that book a few years ago, some of the other books posted, I haven't even heard ofthem but I am going to try to find them in the bookstore or something so I can be enligthened by their words.

I read anything, espcailly freaky/weird/crazy books but I guess if I haven't read the books that were posted, then I haven't even experienced freaky/weird/crazy books before.

I rather have reality than pretend it's not there.

Some people just don't want the same though.

Ignorance is bliss

Jake Gyllenhaal is one amazing actor. I heard of the movie, but haven't seen it. I need to check that out.

Brokeback Mountain is a movie now, isn't it? With Heath Ledger and...Jake Gyllenhall?

Oh, and Bridge to Terabithia was challenged, at least in 2002 in Connecticut for containing evil spells, witchcraft, and a "magical" element. Aside from the swear words. Ironically, the author is a Christian, born from Christian missionaries, and married a Presbyterian Minister.

Huck Finn always gets challenged, because of the language. One of my favorite books as a real young kid, "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" gets challenged, too.

The book "The Drowning of Stephan Jones" is brilliant, and some born-again Christian had it removed from her county because it's about the savage harrassment and killing of a gay man by Arkansas teens.

Oh well. There's no such thing as a banned book. You can always find it somewhere.

You know a controversial book I love? "Bridge to Terabithia." Can someone explain to me why it was controversial? Apparently it had satanic themes.

I'm in LOVE with the Harry Potter books.

Catcher in the Rye is excellent. It was banned because it mentions atheism, homosexuality, alcohol, smoking, sex, prostitution, and contains "naughty words". In other words, it was banned for the same reasons as most of the other books that are banned.

Lord of the Flies has been banned or challenged (not sure which) at some point. I hated it when I first read it because the violence freaked me out, but after I cooled off I realized it was pretty good.

Speaking of the book Cut, the publisher (Push Fiction) has tons of other "controversial" books. The only one I've read is Kerosene, which was good.

I read Catcher in the Rye. and that book is supposedly very controversial and is banned by most schools, even mine but that's another story. I really enjoyed the book and i don't understand why certain schools ban these books?

I loved The Bridge to Terabithia as well, I still have it around somewhere.

Ice, the girl dies. It was raining hard one day and the rope that they used to swing across the ravine was wet. She slipped off and hit her head or something. It was so sad, half the class cried when they read that.

I loved The Bridge to Terabithia when I was a kid. I don't remember much about it...but the whole pretending/escapism thing was cool. Anyone remember what happened to the "weird" girl at the end of the book?

I guess I really haven't read many controversial books besides the common ones often read in english curriculums...but one I would suggest is 100 Years of Solitude, an amazing, long-*** book. Brokeback Mountain is a really good short story, read that if you need something to occupy an hour of your time.

Go ask Alice was a book that i really enjoyed. Lots of people don't like to except reaility, so they dont like it. Adults in paticular.

The Bridge to Terabithia was banned... So was Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews, but I can understand that... the whole incest thing was very creepy.

i havent got a book to talk about, but i just wanted to say controversity is what i am all about, controversity is a punks best friend im probs sounding stupid and bigheaded but oh well, controversity is what makes this crappy world half interesting,

be cool be controversial

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Read Fast Food Nation if you think the meat packing industry is clean and safe and so on...

or just The Jungle if you're into classics

I like the book A Clockwork Orange more than the movie. It's different. Seems to have more thought, less glitz.

I've seen A Clockwork Orange (the movie) and I plan to read the book this summer. I think it's awesome and it makes you think. While Cut wasn't contraversial, it was about an untalked about issue. Speak was another good book.

But I don't see the controversy in Harry Potter. I think they're wonderful and I've read each of them about 500 times each and I'm deffinetly staking out B&N all night on June 15th to get the sixth one.
I don't understand why people don't like them. They encourage kids to read. And censoring your kids isn't encouragement at all.

i like harry potter. i dont know why. u have a point too. i guess reading controversial vokds make u feel rebellious. i dont understand why ppl would hate Harry Potter and i am Catholic. My nun even read my books and didnt understand the big deal. my grandma is very protestant and she thinks its stupid because its make believe, with not one word of the devil, and its a childrens story.

I only meant that cut was not a book most parents appreciate. Some don't want their children seeing that kind of reality/illness. Plus others think you have problems if you read it and enjoy it, like my dad would think it was morbid and that I hve problems. that is all I meant by "controversial"

not to mention short and predicatable Cut i mean not fast food nation

Read Fast Food Nation if you think the meat packing industry is clean and safe and so on...

You wont go to McDonalds for a while thats for sure.

Cut's controversial? I just thought it was one-sided, showing only one reason to do that.