Rachel is a writer from Arkansas, most at home surrounded by forests and animals much like a Disney Princess. She spends most of her time writing stories and playing around in imaginary worlds. You can follow her writing at rachelbrittain.com. Twitter and Instagram: @rachelsbrittain
Considering book bans are as much a historical as modern phenomenon, you might not be surprised to learn that historical fiction isn’t exempt from censorship, either. Just because something is historically accurate or important doesn’t mean it’s safe. These four banned historical fiction books tell important stories about the history of this country and others — but there are people out there who don’t want you to read them. Which is, I think, all the more reason you should.
Beloved by Toni Morrison
One of the 100 most challenged books of the decade from 2010 to 2019 according to the American Library Association, Beloved is also the book that won Toni Morrison the Pulitzer Prize. It’s the story of a haunting, a house, a family, and a country still reeling from the violent legacy of slavery. The story is heartbreaking and the prose is as beautiful and moving as Morrison’s writing is known for being. In her 2009 book, Burn This Book, Morrison writes on the subject of censorship: “fear of unmonitored writing is justified — because truth is trouble.”
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
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The Color Purple by Alice Walker
The Color Purple is a Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award winning novel. It was also banned in 50+ school districts from 2023-2024 according to PEN.org. The book depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century Georgia in the American South, from their complicated relationships with each other to the strength and resilience they learn to carry on through hardship and pain. The book has been adapted into several films and a musical over the years, even as Walker has become more known for various controversies.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo
A much more recent release, Last Night at the Telegraph Club, made Penguin Random House’s list of most challenged / banned books. It’s a touching story about the daughter of Chinese immigrants living in San Francisco’s Chinatown during the Red Scare of the 1950s. As Lily ventures into SF’s lesbian bar scene alongside one of her classmates, her parents face increasing challenges to their citizenship. Lily’s journey of self discovery is invigorating, but it could also place her family under even more scrutiny. According to the ALA, more than 47% of the books being targeted by book bans feature “the voices and lived experiences of LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC individuals.”
We’re not quiet about our feelings on censorship and banned book here at Book Riot. You can find out more about how to fight back against book bans and specific steps you can take to be proactive against book censorship.
English (US) · 