Obscenity trials are obscene in and of themselves, especially when it comes to books. The idea of narrowing the scope of literature is absurd. It typically refuses to invite in anything ugly, but the ugly is part of living and that’s often what books teach us.

Plus, it’s like, come on, man: You really think some kid will pick up Ulysses, have any idea what the hell is going on and just start destroying everything around him? Out of anger and confusion over the impossibly complex syntax, possibly — but not because there’s a jerk-off scene in chapter 13.

While this list isn’t comprehensive, here are 10 standout books that stood trial: