Book Store The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

🚫 Banned for being “too explicit.” What they really mean? It’s too raw, too real, and too true.

Eleven-year-old Pecola Breedlove believes that if she had blue eyes, she’d finally be beautiful. Instead, she’s trapped in a world that tells her she’s worthless. Toni Morrison’s debut novel strips the mask off America’s obsession with whiteness, beauty, and shame — and lays bare the scars it leaves on a Black girl’s soul.

Why it was banned: Graphic content, disturbing themes, and unflinching honesty about racism, sexual abuse, and internalized hate.

Recommended for: Readers ready to confront the ugliness behind “pretty,” and question the lies society tells about worth.