Music Based on Literature
Banned Books
Know Your Professors
Most Hated Books
Great Literature Yet To Be Adapted Into Film
100

This 60s band wrote a Top 10 hit single inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

Who is Jefferson Airplane?

100

This children's book by E.B. White was banned in Kansas schools because "any book featuring two talking animals must be the work of the devil."

What is Charlotte's Web?

100

This professor received her Ph.D. from the University of Mississippi.

Who is Dr. Wendy Miller?

100

Book Riot compiled a list of the top 25 most hated books. This novel is the number one most hated work. The numerous reasons include, "a predictable love triangle," "an underwhelming take on vampires and werewolves," and "a betrayal of modern women."

What is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer?

100

While several scripts have been written, one which Bradley Cooper was set to play the devil, this epic poem has yet to be adapted into a full length film.

What is John Milton's Paradise Lost?

200

This rock band references Lord of the Rings in many songs, including "Ramble On,"  "No Quarter," "Battle of Evermore," and "Misty Mountain Hop."

Who is Led Zeppelin?

200

This novel is the number sixth most banned book in schools. It is written by an African American author and takes place in Lorain, Ohio (the author's hometown), and tells the story of a young African-American girl named Pecola who grew up following the Great Depression.

What is Toni Morrison's The Bluest Eye?

200

This professor received her Ph.D. from the University of Southern Mississippi.

Who is Dr. Laura Hakala?

200

Book Riot surveyed readers recognized that the main character, Holden Caulfield, has become an icon for teenage rebellion; however, this novel is hated by them because "it is too juvenile and should only be read by 13 year-olds."

What is The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger? 

200

While numerous attempts have been made since the 1980s, no film has been made about this picaresque novel featuring the misadventures of protagonist Ignatius J. Reilly, a lazy, overweight, misanthropic, self-styled scholar who lives at home with his mother. 

What is A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole?

300

This modern heavy metal band has numerous songs about horror novels and movies, such as Jaws, American Psycho, and It.

Who is Ice Nine Kills?

300

This novel about book burning has been banned and censored several years for going against religious beliefs (because a Bible was banned and burned) in addition to the common criticism that the novel contains “dirty talk" and "swear words."

What is Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451?

300

This professor received his Ph.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

Who Dr. Peter Grimes?

300

Most readers surveyed by Book Riot simply hated this novel since they were forced to read it and re-read it during middle and high school. This novel is set in the Jazz Age on Long Island.

What is The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald?

300

While there have been songs, music videos, and films inspired by this novel, no direct adaptation has been made about Thomas Pynchon's narrative that is set primarily in Europe at the end of World War II and centers on the design, production and dispatch of V-2 rockets by the German military. 

What is Gravity's Rainbow?

400

This artist wrote "1984" based on George Orwell's novel, which was originally intended as the main song for a stage musical adaptation of the novel.

Who is David Bowie?

400

While not number one, this novel has been in the top ten most banned books in America for several years. Set in the early 1990s, this novel follows Charlie, an introverted and observant teenager, through his freshman year of high school in a Pittsburgh suburb. 

What is Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower?

400

These professors received their Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

Who are Dr. Melissa Schaub and Dr. Roger Ladd?

400

According to Book Riot's survey, this novel is hated by many Christian groups for "its biblical inaccuracies" and hated by secular readers for "being a convoluted and trite mystery." 

What is Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code?

400

While many of his short stories, novellas, and novels have been adapted into films, this dark fantasy novel by Clive Barker is about a magical world that is hidden inside a tapestry, known as the Fugue, to safeguard it from both inquisitive humans and hostile supernatural foes.

What is Weaveworld?

500

This heavy metal band wrote a song about Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo and bought the film rights to the adaptation for the song's video.

Who is Metallica?

500

This graphic memoir written and illustrated by the author recounts their journey from adolescence to adulthood and the author's exploration of gender identity and sexuality, ultimately identifying as being outside of the gender binary.

What is Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer: A Memoir?

500

These professors received their Ph.D. from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Who are Dr. Michael Berntsen and Dr. Spencer Silverthorne?

500

While this memoir remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for 187 weeks, it is hated by Book Riot surveyed readers for being "cringe-worthy and the ultimate example of priv-lit." This memoir chronicles the author's trip around the world after her divorce and what she discovered during her travels.

What is Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert?

500

Even though it has an IMDb page, this work by Cormac McCarthy has yet to be greenlit by a studio. Considered his masterpiece, this novel follows historical events through the characters of Judge Holden and a character known only as The Kid and their participation in the bloody escapades of the Glanton gang, a band of ruthless scalp hunters who murdered and pillaged both Aboriginal Americans and Mexicans during the mid-19th century. All major studios agree that this novel would be too violent even for modern movie audiences.

What is Blood Meridian?