8 books by black authors you probably didn’t know were banned

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Award-winning poet and author, Maya Angelou published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings in 1969. The book recounts Angelou’s struggle in early life including being raped and living in a junkyard, and how she was able to find love and happiness later as a mother. Since 1983, the book has had 39 public challenges or bans for its portrayal of rape, racism, molestation and sexuality, according to sources. Between 1994 and 1997, parents of students in schools such as Dowling High School in Des Moines, Iowa, complained that the book was inappropriate because it had explicit sexual scenes. In 2002, the book was banned for language and being too explicit following its portrayal of rape and other sexual abuse. In 2010, the book was restricted to students with parental permission at the Ocean View School District middle school libraries in Huntington Beach, California because critics said it was not appropriate for children.