Stories that were hidden and forbidden are now available to the Ukrainian reader. Censorship, hiding from the world mentioning unique literary works, now seems almost forgotten. The authors often ahead of their time in the works, and the publishers wereware of publishing texts on taboo topics - rebellious, with religious subtext or sexuality.

Publishing house #Booklav in early 2025 announced a new series of books " These are works that at different times have been censored or caused acute discussions among readers. Some of them were officially prohibited: they were removed from the libraries and were not allowed to print due to pressure from the authorities or a sharp public rejection. Others did not see the light not because of direct prohibitions, but because of the doubts of the authors themselves or the lack of support from publishers. But they all have one common line: their topics were considered uncomfortable, and sometimes even dangerous.

The peculiarity of the selection is that most of the books presented in it still have little known to the general public. The time and efforts spent on erasing their cultural trace gave their result. Therefore, the series has an important mission: to return their visibility and raise the topics that were relevant then and remain so today.

" The idea of \u200b\u200bthis series belongs to the co -founder of the publishing house #Booklav Svetlana Paveletskaya. We strive to discover texts to Ukrainian readers, which at one time were banned in Europe and America for various reasons. Mostly these are books of the XIX-XX century-a period when literature was often set up due to religious restrictions, sexual scenes or manifestations of cruelty, ”said the editor-in-chief Daria Vizhinskaya.

Opens the " The story of a twelve -year -old Esperanza, which is burning with curiosity and children's spontaneity, begins after her family moved to the not better area of \u200b\u200bChicago. Here the girl discovers a new world for herself, where joy and fun intertwine with fears and sorrows.

In short sketches and observations of Esperan, he shares stories about his neighbors, their hopes and dreams, and at the same time he searches for a place that can be called a house:.

" It seems to them that we are dangerous. They are afraid that we will rush at them with brilliant knives. Stupid, got lost and went astray. But we are not afraid. We know that a guy with a crooked eye is Davi's brother, and a lanky in a straw hat next to him is Rozin Eddie Vee, and that big man, similar to an adult bewilder, is a smoothie, although he is no longer smooth, and not a boy already. Everything is brown around, so we are safe. But when we get into the area of \u200b\u200ba different color, our knees tremble, we close the windows of the cars and look right in front. Yes. So it is all the time, all the time "

A book telling about complex childhood, the strength of prejudice and inner will to change was repeatedly prohibited in American schools and libraries. In 2007, Arizona included her in the list of dangerous literature, " However, the challenge of the social norms that was seen on the pages of the "

" Together with our art director Kristina Zolotareva, we developed the concept of design: the black edges of the pages symbolize the shadow in which these books have been for years, and a bright cover emphasizes their importance and strength that they have today, ”says Vizhinskaya. The purpose of this series is to return such works from the shadow. Each book will be supplemented by a special preface that immerses in the context of that era and explains the reasons for the prohibition. This is important for understanding, because what was once considered provocative or unacceptable, today can be perceived in a completely different way.