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Original poster

Library books from your youth expunged from the shelves

30 replies

TheGander · 28/08/2026 14:56

Back in the 80s I was a nerdy schoolgirl who’d hoover up pretty much anything in the library. I remember some books which made an impression but have since been removed from the shelves.Anyone else with memories of books since deemed undesirable? I stress this is not to endorse some views eg essentialism, misogyny ( obviously), but more of a reflection on how some experiences/ ideas etc get discarded as societies evolve. Some on my list:
Muzungu by Dan Topolski. He describes how he trekked across Africa, sleeping with local women along the way, most of them sex workers if I remember correctly. Published before AIDS came to light. He does however pair this with vocal anti racist rhetoric, so maybe not all bad
Nuba by Leni Riefenstahl. Beautiful pictures of Nuba tribespeople in southern Sudan, most of them naked. She was Hitler’s filmmaker for the Berlin Olympic Games.
The Arab mind , by an author who described himself as an Arabophile. Apparently it was used as a guide to the local population by the US army in the 1st gulf war.
Something by a colonial type in India, describing how she killed tigers by the truckload. Her justification was the locals were grateful.
Anyone else?

OP posts:
Dappy777 · 02/09/2026 14:22

There was a big effort made to 'de-colonise' the libraries a while ago. Sounded very sinister to me – almost Orwellian. I am f-ing sick of liberal-left bullies trying to control what I can read and say and think.

There are several ridiculous books in my local library, paid for by the council, that no one is interested in. They're only there because they tick a DEI box. Brand new hardbacks that must have cost £25 each. The classics shelf also looks a bit depleted. Over the past decade, I can think of several classics I wanted that were no longer available – books by Kipling, Robert Graves, Virginia Woolf, Evelyn Waugh, etc. Whenever I see a classic in a charity shop, I buy it. The literary canon is coming under serious attack and I can see a time when many of the classics will either be re-written or banned outright.

MsAmerica · 02/09/2026 01:15

Waawo · 28/08/2026 17:05

In the 80s, I read Mein Kampf - was on the shelf in my high-school library

[ETA: I have zero sense now of what it was even about really, the only residual memory is that it was a very dull book indeed]

Edited

Same here, except that in my case, I think I had to read if for college!

And, yes: Zero sense now of what it was even about really, the only residual memory is that it was a very dull book indeed. I'm thinking I should try re-reading it, just for kicks.

Original poster
TheGander · 28/08/2026 17:30

Mein Kampf! You’ve outdone me there.
Just remembered, as a teenager with no idea of what my style was, I borrowed lots of books on clothes. One had a chapter entitled “ Bedroom or Boardroom, you must decide”. The looks were pure Margaret Thatcher.

OP posts:
Waawo · 28/08/2026 17:05

In the 80s, I read Mein Kampf - was on the shelf in my high-school library

[ETA: I have zero sense now of what it was even about really, the only residual memory is that it was a very dull book indeed]

cheapskatemum · 28/08/2026 15:17

Wow, great examples! I was like you as a teenager, but nothing as extreme as those springs to mind & that was in the 70s. I recognised the word Muzungu, it’s what indigenous Kenyan people call white men. I will have a think though, in case anything pops into my head.