AUTHOR: Toni Morrison
ISBN: 0452280621
Plot Summary: Sethe, a former slave from Kentucky, is haunted by the ghost of her 2-year-old daughter, Beloved, whom she killed rather than allow to be recaptured. Now, 18 years later, a mysterious young woman takes an intense interest in Sethe...and her name is Beloved.
Complaints: Sexual themes, offensive language, racial themes
Too cruel for high schoolers to read. One parent in Sarasota, FL, complained of "sex, violence, cruelty, brutality, aberrant sexual behavior, offensive language and derisive names." In 1995 the Anaheim Union High School District banned it from the district's curriculum after a community member complained the story was too graphic for high school students. Board trustee Katherine Smith said, "I think that there are so many other wonderful creative works of literature out there we could use. We need literature that is uplifting and positive, and I don't think this book is."
Solonor Says Ban It Because: Yeah! Slavery's not upbeat enough. Let's ban anything to do with it.
Links:
A Remnant of Slavery's Horror - This tells the real life story of Margaret Garner--a Kentucky slave whose tragic story inspired 'Beloved'.