Frequently Banned Books Written By Female Writers

With Banned Books Week coming up later this month, I couldn't resist sharing an article I stumbled upon earlier this week on Bustle's website regarding banned books. The article is titled 11 Frequently Banned Books By Female Writers That You Absolutely Cannot Miss by Blaire Perel. In her article, Blaire Perel writes:

There’s one upside to book-banning: it’s that kind of like anything-banning, the more you take something away, the more people want it. Is it the danger? The mystery? (The ridiculousness of a book being banned in the first place?) Whatever it is, reading banned books is a fantastic idea. Not only are you telling those who are pro-censorship that you’re not going to take any of their BS, but you also just might get a little thrill from getting your paws on the prohibited.

But the question remains: Which author to choose? Unfortunately, so many books have been banned, called "vulgar,”“inappropriate,” and “offensive,” that picking a title from the banned-book pile isn’t an easy feat. It even turns out that Maya Angelou, a writer who is beloved by so many, holds the dubious distinction of the most banned author in America. In 1983, Angelou was accused of harboring “a bitterness and hatred toward whites” by members of the Alabama committee that approves schools texts. (Apparently the Pulitzer Prize board missed that when nominating her work. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Quite a few of the book titles mentioned in Blaire Perel's article I have never even heard of before. I have, however, heard of Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi, which I read last month and really enjoyed reading. Now I have more banned books written by female writers to add to my reading wishlist. I also hope you have some new book titles to add to your reading list as well.

Until my next post, happy reading!