I wanted to share the link from my Substack this week because it comments on YA literature and censorship.

If you’ve been here with me, you know I’m worried about book censorship in general. And that a good percentage of book challenges these days are of work by and about LGBTQIA and Black Americans. But another type of teen book that’s being challenged is one that includes sexual violence. I think about this a lot because my upcoming YA novel takes place in a polygamist colony controlled by a sexual predator ‘prophet.’ 

I’m not one who enjoys gratuitous violence in any medium, but I want to discuss patriarchy and the things that happen to girls. I workshopped my novel repeatedly with a group that included an editor and a probation officer because I didn’t want it to be too much, too triggering. That workshopping helped a lot. 

Why not just skip over the topic of sexual violence?

Please read the post here. Each week there is a round up of library/book challenge news, so if you’d like to keep abreast of that, please click on the link and subscribe. Thanks!