11 Banned Books by Women to Read Right Now

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10.) The Awakening, Kate Chopin

What it’s about

Edna Pontellier is a well-to-do woman living in 19th century Louisiana. Despite her comfortable circumstances and loving family, however, she feels that something is deeply wrong. Throughout the short novel, Edna struggles with social structures that insist she remain a mute and obedient woman. Though others claim that she should find complete fulfillment in her roles as wife and mother, she is hounded by the sense of a life only half-lived.

Why it was banned or challenged

Around the time of its publication, The Awakening was criticized as being immoral and scandalous. Readers complained of Chopin’s frank treatment of female sexuality, as well as her depiction of a woman made deeply unhappy by traditional femininity.

In 2007, it was challenged but retained on a reading list in Arlington Heights, Illinois. A 2011 challenge in Oconee County, Georgia concerned the cover of a particular edition, which depicted a bare-chested woman.

Why you should read it

The Awakening is a foundational feminist work. It is perhaps most impressive when you consider that it was published in 1899, when the feminist movement was in its infancy. The heart-wrenching portrait of a trapped woman will move you, and perhaps urge you to examine your own life’s course.