Which 1951 novel by J.D. Salinger has been frequently banned for its profanity and sexual themes?

The 1951 novel by J. D. Salinger frequently banned for profanity and sexual themes was The Catcher in the Rye.

Published by Little, Brown and Company on July 16, 1951, the novel follows Holden Caulfield, a troubled teenager who has been expelled from boarding school. Holden spends a few days wandering through New York City, criticizing what he calls “phoniness” while struggling with grief, alienation, depression, sexuality, and the loss of innocence.

The novel was originally intended for adults, but its candid teenage narrator made it especially influential among adolescent readers. School and library challenges have focused on Holden’s profanity, references to sex, alcohol, prostitution, and depression. That history makes it a classic example of a frequently challenged book, although it was not subject to one permanent nationwide U.S. ban.

The title itself is often misunderstood. Holden imagines protecting children from falling over a cliff in a field of rye, but the idea comes from his mishearing of Robert Burns’s poem “Comin’ Thro’ the Rye.” The book first appeared partly in serial form in 1945–1946 before becoming a novel in 1951.