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Banned books for every woman
What with Woman’s Day celebrated around the world, we heard many voices make their stance on womanhood and woman’s rights be known. While we might often take this ability to raise points and start debates as a given, history – even very recent history – has served as a reminder that there are those who try and push censorships on certain women related issues.
They may be books that tell tales of sexual freedom, movies that argue against prescribed gender roles or mere stories that try and evaluate what it means to be a woman. However, at different times and places, we have had society ban and label them as “too vulgar”, “inappropriate” or just plain “offensive”.
People who impose bans though ought to learn by now that banning something only makes it that much more appealing. The Week brings to woman centric works of literature that once proudly featured in the banned list.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Chopin is very honest in her portrayal of marital female infidelity in this story but apart from the controversies, this book is still appreciated for the depths with which it explores woman’s psychology. The awakening also earned its notorious reputation for questioning gender roles, certainly a bold move for its time of release as well as the decades that followed.
Our bodies, Ourselves by Boston Women’s Health Book
In reality, the book covered topics like birth control, childbirth, menopause, sexual pleasure as well as gender identity. Those who read it today might find this isn’t the most informative guide but you will certainly enjoy the progressive tone of women of that generation. After all, it was a book written by women for women. In a way, it serves as a little note from history for all young feminists. Even for western women of the 70s, chances are that this was one of the first books about pregnancy that they could get their hands on.
The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall
This novel is about lesbian relationships. Many believe it is based on Hall’s own story and unlike some of the other banned counterparts, Hall doesn’t focus on steamy scenes and fantasies. On the contrary, the story is simply about her state of being. The chronicles aren’t exaggerated to enthrall readers nor understated to make it more digestible. The book is as straight forward as it can be. In this sense, you can call it a timeless portrayal.
Back in its time though, The Well of Loneliness was called “obscene” by a British court for referring to “unnatural practices between women”.
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
Today the narrative has certainly changed. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is considered a classic coming-of-age story. It is also Angelou’s biography and features several tales of her young life’s challenges including her rape as a child. What was once considered a book that “encourages deviant behavior” is today considered to be poetic and powerful. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings continues to inspire many.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
As fundamentalism takes over her country, she talks about the horrors of war that she experiences as teenager, smoking cigarettes and listening to illegal music. In 2013, a couple of schools in different states in America including Chicago, Illinois, and Texas asked the book to be removed from their schools for “graphic language and images”. There were some who even dragged Satrapi’s religion into the debate, but we personally believe this is worth the read. Reviews call it smart, funny, and heartbreaking, all at the same time and also the graphics in the novel are amazing.
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