"60% of the 1000 book challenges were
submitted by just 11 people. One man
alone was responsible for 92 challenges.
These 11 people seem to have made
submitting copy-cat book challenges
their full-time hobby. Their opinions
are having an outsize ripple effect
across the nation.
WE NEED TO MAKE THE VOICES
SUPPORTING DIVERSE BOOKS
AND OPPOSING BOOK BANS
EVEN LOUDER."
This is a valuable and impressive resource for young adults wanting to explore book bans, why they are happening, and how challenges can be effective in having them reversed. The entries are edited by Ashley Hope Perez who knows a lot about the subject as her book Out of Darkness is often banned in the United States. In this carefully curated collection, award-winning authors and illustrators have contributed personal thoughts on the subject. They are written as essays, poems, graphic art, and story. They have an impact for readers.
The introduction provides alarming statistics concerning bans at both state and school levels. Documents from 2021 to 2023 show 'a total of 5,894 book bans across 41 states and 247 public school districts. These book bans restricted access to the work of 2,598 authors, illustrators, and translators.' That number is on the rise. This book was created to say NO to the book banning that is impacting young people across America.
Debbie Fong has provided a portrait of each of the sixteen artists prior to their contribution to the whole. A brief bio is also added. Readers will find the works both appealing and thought-provoking. Often moving and full of heart, they evoke compassion for their personal experiences. For those wanting to know more, they are numerous suggested resources for follow-up learning on a variety of weighty topics. A Teen-To-Do List to Fight Book Bans suggests ways for readers to get involved in having their opinions, considering this is something that so directly affects them. There is a lot at stake and these entries offers tools needed to have a say in their right to read what they choose. Ms. Perez also introduces teens who are making a difference in their own way to fight book banning where they live.
The authors discuss how what happened when they were younger has impacted their writing today, and they encourage their readers to take up the fight for freedom to read. Ample resources offer extensive lists of banned books.
"Knowledge is power. And that is what they fear. Regardless of your upbringing, of where you live, or how you're otherwise pigeonholed, you'll find the knowledge you need in books. " Ellen Hopkins, 2025.
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