Banned/Challenged Book Spotlight - Cinderella is Dead

Each week are taking a closer look at one of the more than 800 books challenged by the Texas State Legislature.

CInderella is Dead by Kalynn Bayron is another book challenged by the Texas State Legislature for inappropriate content.

The premise for Cinderella is Dead reads: It’s 200 years after Cinderella found her prince, but the fairy tale is over. Teen girls are now required to appear at the Annual Ball, where the men of the kingdom select wives based on a girl’s display of finery. If a suitable match is not found, the girls not chosen are never heard from again.

Sixteen-year-old Sophia would much rather marry Erin, her childhood best friend, than parade in front of suitors. At the ball, Sophia makes the desperate decision to flee, and finds herself hiding in Cinderella’s mausoleum. There, she meets Constance, the last known descendant of Cinderella and her step sisters. Together they vow to bring down the king once and for all–and in the process, they learn that there’s more to Cinderella’s story than they ever knew . . .

This fresh take on a classic story will make readers question the tales they’ve been told, and root for girls to break down the constructs of the world around them.

The best thing about this story is the way it handles societal expectations placed on girls and how they can break free of those constraints. The classic princess stories did so much to reinforce those standards, and it’s refreshing to see one that challenges it, while keeping the heart of the original.

The reason it is challenged comes down to the intersection of Sophia’s identity. Not only is she a Black protagonist, she is also a lesbian and becomes romantically involved with the descendant of Cinderella. While there are moments of violence in the story, it doesn’t exceed that of its genre peers.

While some have taken issue with the story, Cinderella is Dead offers readers a chance to subvert their own expectations of truth, and love.