About this book
Ralph Ellison's National Book Award-winning novel follows a nameless young Black man as he navigates American society from the Jim Crow South to Harlem, experiencing the ways racial prejudice renders him invisible to white America. Written over seven years, it is considered one of the great American novels. Challenged in US schools for its language, sexual content, and frank portrayal of racism.
Why it was banned
Challenged in U.S. schools for racial language, sexual content, and its depiction of systemic racism.
Bans
| Country | Year | Reasons | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 1975lifted | SexualRacialLanguage | ||
| United States | 1994 | SexualRacial | ||
| Challenged in schools for its language and sexual content; removed from reading lists in several states despite its canonical status in American literature. | ||||
