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Why are books continually banned?

Why do they not remove books from the Banned list if they are non-offensive anymore?

Public Comments

1. There is no official banned books list - there are just books that are consistently banned by schools and parents. The U.S. government doesn't ban any books though. As far as not being offensive anymore; what would qualify a book to no longer being offensive in the eyes of the offended? Books are banned by schools and parents because of language, situations and ideals that don't reflect what those people believe in and they feel like the stories will have a negative impact on their children. There are some Christians that don't let their children read the Harry Potter books because they believe that the books promote magic and witchcraft. If the Harry Potter books are considered offensive in some people's minds then it's pretty easy to imagine why other books are banned by certain schools or parents.
2. It depends on which 'they' you're talking about. You cannot truly 'ban' a book in the US - although people or institutions can choose to not have it in their library. If you mean the books 'banned' by the Church - if it was contrary to their teachings when written, it's unlikely to be more palatable now. Rare exceptions occur, such as books promoting the heliocentric model of the solar system.
3. In the United States, books are not "banned." Instead, they are "challenged," usually by concerned parents or teachers, and the decision to remove the book from shelves affects only the library or school district at which the challenge is directed. The book goes into review - sometimes the decision is made to remove it from the library or class curriculum, or to require a parent's permission to check it out/read it for class, or it is overturned. Whenever a book is challenged, there are many people on the opposite side fighting to keep it in circulation - teachers, parents, and students who recognize its literary merit. As such, there is no list of banned books in the US. The American Library Association (ALA) does maintain a list of the most frequently challenged books. The things in these books that are considered "offensive" generally transcend time and place - some people are offended by the language in "Huckleberry Finn" or the description of an alleged rape in "To Kill a Mockingbird." However, as some books are challenged less often, they rotate off the list and are replaced by those which are challenged more often. So, at least in America, books are not continuously banned. Specific books are challenged by specific concerned parties and may or may not be removed from a specific stated location. But no one has the power to demand that a book be removed from all shelves, everywhere, across the nation.