The Bluest Eye

Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye has been challenged and banned across the US since its release in 1970. The controversy surrounding the book is a result of its graphic subject matter, including sexual abuse, incest, and pedophilia. Specifically, the book details psychological, racial, and sexual trauma through the lens of the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove. Some have argued its intense subject matter is too sensitive for school settings, while others argue it invites critical discourse on racism and abuse. This specific print is the first British Edition, published in London in 1979, nine years after the initial release in the US. The jacket design and cover art are by Kate Cary.