11 Banned Books by Women to Read Right Now

(Image via Penguin Random House)

11.) Beloved, Toni Morrison

What it’s about

Beloved tells the story of Sethe, a former slave who is attempting to build a life as a free woman in the post-Civil War Ohio. Her home is seemingly haunted by an unknown force that moves objects and terrifies neighbors. Sethe and others suspect that the haunting is thanks to the spirit of Beloved, her baby daughter. While she was still a slave, Sethe ran away with her children. Facing capture, she attempted to kill her children rather than see them enslaved again. She succeeded only in killing Beloved. Eighteen years later, the haunting and reappearance of a mysterious young woman lead Sethe to believe that Beloved has returned.

Why it was banned

Parents and school officials typically want to ban the book because of its mature subject matter, which includes bestiality, violence, racism, and sex. In 2016, parents at the Satellite Beach High School in Florida issued one of the book’s most recent challenges. One father, who admitted to not fully reading the novel, wanted it banned because of its “porn content”.

Others in Fairfax County, Virginia said that Beloved depicted “scenes of violent sex, including a gang rape, and was too graphic and extreme for teenagers”. While neither challenge resulted in a banning, the Virginia case pushed for new state legislation. That new ruling now requires the Virginia Department of Education to notify parents of content in their child’s reading lists.

Why you should read it

Toni Morrison is one of the most influential African-American authors of all time. Beloved is considered to be one of her greatest works and serves as an excellent introduction to Morrison’s work. In fact, Beloved has won the Pulitzer Prize. Yes, it’s devastating. Yes, the reader is confronted with horrifying accounts of slavery and the antebellum United States. However, it’s beautifully written and presents an important portrait of antebellum life for African-Americans.