Celebrating and Protecting the Right to Read with Toni Morrison
Celebrating and Protecting the Right to Read with Toni Morrison
Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison has profoundly shaped American literature with her powerful narratives that explore African American life and heritage. Her works often tackle complex themes such as identity, race, and the historical legacy of slavery and like other books featuring these topics, her works have consistently faced bans and challenges.
As we approach her birthday on February 18, we can think of no better time to shine a spotlight on two of Morrison’s seminal works that have faced challenges and censorship: Beloved and The Bluest Eye.
We invite you to discover more about these two monumental titles through their book resumes, containing reviews from professional trade review journals as well as links to resources and relevant media, to support your efforts to defend books from censorship in your area.
The Bluest Eye (1970)

Morrison’s first novel The Bluest Eye, is a poignant story about Pecola Breedlove, an eleven-year-old African American girl in 1940s Ohio who yearns for blue eyes and blonde hair, believing they will make her beautiful and loved. Both widely acclaimed and challenged, this novel tackles issues of racial self-loathing, Eurocentric beauty standards, and the devastating effects of internalized racism.
Why It’s Banned/Challenged: The Bluest Eye is among the most widely banned books, historically challenged for alleged “sexually explicit material”, graphic content and depictions of racism.
Check out the Book Resume for The Bluest Eye. Follow along at @bannedbooksbookclub as we read The Bluest Eye together, culminating in a live book discussion on February 18th.
Beloved (1987)

Beloved is perhaps Morrison’s most acclaimed work. Set after the American Civil War and inspired by the true story of Margaret Garner, Beloved tells the haunting story of Sethe, an escaped slave who chooses to kill her child rather than see her returned to slavery and is haunted by the ghost of her dead daughter. This Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a profound exploration of the trauma of slavery and the enduring scars it leaves on individuals and communities.
Why It’s Banned/Challenged: Beloved has been challenged for its depictions of violence, sexual content, and themes of slavery.
Check out the Book Resume for Beloved and dive even deeper with our Reading Group Guide.
Watch Toni Morrison defend the right of children to read and the importance of literature that challenges norms and provokes thought. “Taken from the 1982 event An Evening of Forbidden Books, this selection displays the admirable quality of an artist and activist unwilling to compromise when censors—in whatever form—threaten to deny the creative spirit access to literature and literacy.”