Why Is To Kill a Mockingbird Banned?
To Kill a Mockingbird is challenged mainly because of its language: the n-word appears close to 50 times, almost always in dialogue. Most cases are removals from school reading lists, not legal bans.
The American Library Association ranked it 21st among the most challenged books of 2000 to 2009.
| Where | What | When |
|---|---|---|
| Biloxi, Mississippi | Removed from 8th-grade lessons | October 2017 |
| Accomack County, Virginia | Complaint; briefly pulled | 2016 |
| Burbank, California | Challenged in schools | 2020 |
What do people object to in the book?
The objection raised most often is the racial slur, which appears close to 50 times, mostly in the speech of racist characters. In Biloxi, a student said hearing the word read aloud made them uncomfortable, and the district said parents had complained that the language made some people uncomfortable.
↑ Back to the topWhat happened in Biloxi, Mississippi?
In October 2017 the Biloxi school district pulled the novel from its eighth-grade English lessons, partway through the unit. The decision drew criticism from public figures such as Senator Ben Sasse and former Education Secretary Arne Duncan. The National Coalition Against Censorship later reported that Biloxi Junior High would keep the novel in English classes after all.
↑ Back to the topIs this new?
No. The book has been challenged since not long after it appeared, in places as different as New York, Illinois, Texas and Georgia. The ALA's Office for Intellectual Freedom has said race has long been a target for censorship in schools, and that Mockingbird has been challenged almost from the start.
↑ Back to the topWhy do others want it taught?
Teachers and writers who support it say the slur is there to show the racism of the time, that the book condemns that racism, and that students can discuss the language with a teacher. People on the other side reply that a book can condemn racism and still be hard on the students who have to read it aloud.
↑ Back to the topIs it actually banned?
In the United States, a challenge is a request to remove a book, and a ban is an actual removal. Mockingbird has been both challenged and, in particular districts, removed from reading lists or school libraries. It is not banned by law anywhere in the US, and it is widely sold and read.
↑ Back to the topMore about To Kill a Mockingbird
This guide covers the book only. Film and TV versions differ in places.