In Fahrenheit 451 why were books banned?

Fahrenheit 451 is banned in some areas because it contains offensive language and content. A parent complained to the superintendent of West Marion High School about the book's usage of the phrase "God damn" and, subsequently, the book was removed from the reading list. Other schools have also banned this book for its questionable themes, though West Marion is the most recent.

Answer:

The banning of "Fahrenheit 451" Ray Bradbury's 1953 book about the evils of book banning and censorship is one of those circular jokes that we see every once in a while. The initial complaint was that the Words "hell" and "damn" appeared in it making it a corrupting force on society. Opponents then noted that one of the books burned was a Christian Bible and took the position that the author advocated burning Bibles (rather than the opposite that he was trying to show how bad things had become)

A more obvious reason seems to exist. One of the main themes of the story is that a government which tries to suppress freedom of expression should be opposed. In the early 50's, when this book was written, this advocacy of opposition was seen as a bad thing by real world authoritarian groups (e.g. McCarthyism) that claimed to have all the answers.

Like the opposition to "1984", the opposition to "Fahrenheit 451" seems to grow as the depicted society grows too similar to our own. One of these uncomfortable parallels is today's increased use of entertainment in place of learning and culture. Ray Bradbury has stated that this dumbing down was one of the concerns he was trying to raise.