Summary

“The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison is an illustrative story about Pecola Breedlove who lives in an abusive home. Pecola thinks beauty and social acceptance is by being white, so she wants to have the bluest eye. The tragic novel uncovers the damaging effects of societal standards on a young black girl’s sense of self-worth. Morrison shows the brutal realities of racism and the importance of self-acceptance. 

About the Author

Born in 1931, Lorain, Ohio, Chloe Anthony Wofford Morrison, known as Toni, was an extraordinary American novelist. She is most noteworthy for her examination of Black experience within the Black community. Her first book, “The Bluest Eye” was published in 1970 and she received her first Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993. As part of her education, Morrison attended Howard University in 1953 then Cornell University in 1955. She was a teacher, an editor, then eventually a writer. Acclaimed author Morrison retired in 2006 and passed away on August 5, 2019 in Bronx, New York. Her awards were the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Nobel Prize, and the Pulitzer Prize. 

Why was it banned?

Taken from KUTV news report, the article states that in 2021, the “Bluest Eye” was also among nine other books removed from Canyons School District after an individual in a parental group complained that it was offensive. There have been many challenges made on the book, the first, dating back to 1998 in Maryland from a mother named Christine Schwalm. Since, there have been many other challenges. The newest one from 2023: it was banned and challenged because of it’s depictions of sexual abuse, EDI content, and considered to be sexually explicit. The Chief Academic Officer for Broward County Schools Florida called all principals in the district to abolish eleven titles from their school libraries due to the claims of them being sexually explicit or with LGBTQ content. Titles removed included picture books, sex education materials, and AP English novels.