A mildly subversive gift guide: 10 banned books for curious and rebellious US readers | Gift ideas from the Filter US

For lovers of magical realism and historical fiction, this multi-generational story about a Chilean family living through social and political unrest was influenced by Gabriel García Márquez’s novel One Hundred Years of Solitude. Isabel Allende’s debut novel was published in Spain in 1982 and follows a clairvoyant matriarch, a poor miner patriarch, and their descendants as they live through a military coup and regime. Get a copy for someone who wants to read this before the TV adaptation comes out in the new year on Prime Video.

Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret by Judy Blume

from $6.28

As the product of a pretty chill interfaith marriage who grew up in the New Jersey suburbs, I very much heard 11-year-old Margaret’s prayers. When I was her age, I needed my literature to address going through puberty, getting the first period and having a crush. Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret has also been challenged and banned for decades since its 1970 release, which is a disservice to young people who also deserve to read about these topics. Consider buying a copy for the preteen in your life who is going through it (like the rest of us).

Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich

from $8.45

Get this for your broke friend who needs affirmation that capitalism is ruining their life and also happens to be a fan of writers of dirty realism including Bobbie Ann Mason and Jayne Anne Phillips. Unsettled by the p***ing of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act, writer and activist Barbara Ehrenreich went undercover as a journalist in the late 1990s, working different minimum-wage jobs typically ascribed to women. A former honorary co-chair of the Democratic Socialists of America, Ehrenreich emphasizes the gaps between most Americans’ income and their expenses, as well as disputes the notion of “unskilled labor”.

The Bluest Eye, Song of Solomon, and Beloved by Toni Morrison boxset

from $38.95

This one’s a threefer because the works of Toni Morrison are a collective gift to us all. Her first, third and fifth novels traverse time and form as some of Morrison’s greatest hits. They’ve also been featured on banned and challenged book lists every decade since their initial releases. As a box set, they’re an ideal present for anyone who desperately needs an introduction to her work.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

from $8.99

Originally published in French and named after the ancient capital of the Persian Empire, Persepolis is a black-and-white graphic novel written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi. Based on her childhood during and post-Islamic revolution, the book details Satrapi’s early life as she comes of age in Tehran and Vienna in the 1980s. This is ideal for anyone who likes reading multi-disciplinary writers or prefers comics.

It’s a Book by Lane Smith

from $12.84

For your friend who doesn’t like to read – or your four-year-old nephew. (There’s also It’s a Little Book for even younger readers.) A monkey that identifies moreso as a bookworm tries to convince his screen-obsessed donkey friend to put down his devices and join in on his reading ritual – does the donkey happen to sound like somebody you know? At the end, an “***” donkey nickname proclaimed by a mouse stirred up real-life controversy among people and groups.

Goosebumps (series) by RL Stine 25th anniversary retro set

from $20.99

Banned or challenged by those who felt it was depicting violence and the occult, the Goosebumps series was formative in my understanding of plot and suspense. My love for Goosebumps was a precursor for my love of The Twilight Zone – thanks to books such as Say Cheese and Die! about a boy and his friends who find a camera that produces life-threatening predictions, and Night of the Living Dummy about twins who acquire ventriloquist dummies that come to life. I recommend any sampling of the series for your tween.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

from $11.89

Not much more can be said about the impact of Alice Walker’s epistolary novel that won her the Pulitzer prize and National book award for fiction in 1983. It has been adapted for the screen and stage and challenged in schools and libraries for decades due to its honest portrayals of physical, ***ual and emotional violence against Black women. Censoring this book overlooks the beauty in the art that her characters create through music, sewing and writing. This is for anyone interested in reading about sisterhood and resilience.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

from $8.36

The first of seven autobiographies, Maya Angelou’s seminal I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was written at the suggestion of her friend James Baldwin and editor Robert Loomis. The book subverts the form of autobiography, as well as the prejudice and racism imposed by a white, male-dominated society. For the omnivorous reader – Angelou was also a poet, playwright and composer – who is interested in reading more post-civil rights movement narratives by Black women.