This Famous Book Was Once Surprisingly Banned in Washington State

Can You Name A Famous Book That Once Was Banned In Washington State?

One of my favorite movies of all time was "Finding Forrester". You might be familiar with the movie as Sean Connery is a reclusive writer of a famous novel who befriends a young man.

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Author Wrote One Famous Novel And Became A Recluse After Book Was Famous

Connery said he based the character on the famous author JD Salinger. Salinger was a renowned novelist who wrote the great American novel and became a recluse, never to write a full book again.

By Photo by Lotte Jacobi, per a credit in the bottom-left corner of the original dust jacket's back cover. Published by Little, Brown and Company - *Original source: first published as part of the full dust jacket art for The Catcher in the Rye (see "other versions" below). The high-resolution photo portrait is sourced from Medium. Cropped and retouched by the uploader., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80876206

The book was so successful and famous that it ended up being banned soon after its release because of its subject matter.

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Salinger's book 'The Catcher in the Rye'. Yes, you read that right. This iconic American novel was actually banned in an Issaquah, Washington, high school for being part of an overall communist plot.

In 1978, three members of the School Board of Issaquah, Washington, raised serious concerns about 'The Catcher in the Rye' being taught in local high schools. According to them, the book was part of the larger anti-capitalist, communist plot.

They argued that the book's subversive and controversial themes of race, sexuality, and vulgar language were dangerous for young readers.

The board ultimately voted to remove the book from the curriculum, and it was banned for a brief period in the Issaquah high schools.

By Michael Mitchell; the credit "Jacket design by Michael Mitchell" is found on the right jacket flap (the left panel). (For jurisdictions that do not recognize the rule of the shorter term, and define copyright term based the date of the author's death plus a set number of years: according to this post at Cal Arts, Mitchell died in 2009.) - Nate D. Sanders auctions (direct link to jpg). Retouched by uploader., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=80875378

The three offended board members were recalled soon after and the book was reinstated.

Catcher In The Rye is still the most challenged book on ban lists and still the second most taught book in schools.

As a teen, I remember reading the book in my own AP English class.

I find Salinger's story reclusiveness fascinating and Salinger managed to create the great American novel and then after the fame, hide away for decades.

You can read more about the book banning and JD Salinger here.