Since 1982, the dedicated people in the literary community have brought awareness to the glorious books that parents and administrators tried to hide from curious youth. Banned Books week is not just about embracing those elementary school posters of authors and celebrities telling you to “READ” but also about fighting censorship, for the sake of diverse and vital literary content. The following authors created outstanding, controversial work that has been banned in several academic institutions throughout the years, and each deserves acknowledgment for her history and her book(s).
I find this list of books and the women who wrote them to be extraordinary, but they are certainly not the only ones! They proved to the world that their voices mattered, and they are proof that you can do the same. Read, write and don’t be afraid if people disagree with your work, because these women and their literature are always going to be there to help you fight back.
Margaret Mitchell, Gone With the Wind
Toni Morrison, Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye
Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale
Judy Blume, Blubber, Deenie, Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret
Alice Walker, The Color Purple
Alice Sebold,The Lovely Bones
Madonna, Sex
Madeleline L’Engle, A Wrinkle In Time
Lois Lowry, The Giver
Katherine Paterson, Bridge To Terabithia
Annette Curtis Klause, Blood and Chocolate
J.K. Rowling, The Harry Potter Series
Who are some of your favorite female authors? Let us know in the comments below!
For more info on banned books week please visit ncac.org, uprisebooks.org/, and bannedbooksweek.org/
Photos c/o BannedBooks, ScribnerBooks, Margaretatwoodworld, oldflordiabookstore, burlingtonfreepress, afortmadeofbooks, AmandaOnWriting, nypl, and the-biblio-phile
