The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
book, borax, 9 x 6 x 4 ½ inches
Nobel Prize winner Toni Morrison’s novel has been banned, or challenged, nearly every year since its publication. First pulled from an eleventh-grade classroom at a high school in Fairbanks, Alaska in 1994, and then banned from the Morrisville, Pennsylvania High School English curriculum that same year because “it was a very controversial book; it contains a lot of very graphic descriptions and lots of disturbing language.” In 2014, it was challenged on a suggested reading list for high school students in Columbus, Ohio by the school board president because it was inappropriate for the board to “even be associated with it.” A fellow board member described the book as having “an underlying socialist-communist agenda.”
Disclaimer
The crystallized banned books are intended to slowly alter in appearance over time. The crystals transform from translucent to opaque while the sculptural form of the book remains intact. In order to preserve the slow rate of change, I suggest the sculpture be kept (as best as possible) in a consistent climate with low humidity and normal room temperature or cooler, as well as away from direct heat and sunlight. Individual crystals may shed when handled.
*Because each crystallized banned book is handmade and, therefore, one of a kind, we cannot offer refunds.