Books That Made People Blush

Books on this shelf were banned or challenged for being labeled as pornographic or sexually explicit. As with visual art, it’s often difficult to draw a clear line between artistic expression and pornography. Having worked as a figure model for the fine art program at Indiana University, I’ve developed strong opinions on this distinction. Porn is created with the primary goal of sexual arousal, often lacking depth—no plot, no character development, no romance. Similarly, in graphic work, the absence of thoughtful composition, light balance, or color theory separates art from something purely explicit. These books were censored not necessarily because they were pornographic, but because committees or schools felt they were too sexual for students or the general public. This shelf challenges that idea.