Books are a great source of information, and they have been
around for a very long time. There is history embedded in pages of some of the
books, while some are so old that they had to be preserved so that they cannot
get destroyed. We write on these books, and they teach the world some valuable
information.
However, just like movies and tv shows, books have also been
on the list of banned items in many countries for different reasons, from
religious to political reasons and every reason in between. A famous historical
book from 35 AD, The Odyssey, was banned in Roman empires because it promoted
dangerous ideas of freedom, which would inspire people to overthrow the Roman
empire. Even today, books are being banned from countries.
Casual novels, philosophical encyclopedias, or even Nobel
Peace Prize-winning books have made their way into the banning list. The
banning of a book in a country is due to the fact that books inspire people,
and if there is inappropriate content in it, it can inspire negativity in the
people. Some of the countries imply strict laws to ensure that the books remain
banned in the territory. Even the countries with laws to protect freedom of
speech have banned a few books.
Most of the time, primary school books containing
inappropriate content are also forced to be banned. The Middle East is
notorious for banning content that is even slightly inappropriate. This
includes tv shows, video games, movies and, obviously, books.
Many books have gained popularity after they get banned –
which is the irony of it. All the fuss about banning a book makes people more
curious about reading it. The banned books are mostly illegally sold as pirated
copies in the underground market.
Take a look at the chart, which shows a world map and names
a book banned in each country.
Infographic by: geediting.com
