Laurie Halse Anderson appeared on Ali Velshi’s MSNBC show as part of its Banned Book Club segment, discussing the alarming spike in book censorship in American schools and libraries.
Anderson is known for her young adult novels, including Speak, published in 1999 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The book, which tells the story of a young rape survivor, was a finalist for a National Book Award and has been targeted by censors frequently, making the American Library Association’s list of the 10 most challenged books of 2020.
Velshi asked Anderson why it is important that people have access to books like hers.
“The sad fact is, so many of our fellow citizens have been victims of sexual violence,” she said. “We know, because people have done the research, if we don’t talk to our kids in a healthy and appropriate way about sexuality, they grow up learning from violent pornography or not learning at all. That makes them vulnerable. That’s why we have books. Stories help us understand the world.”
Velshi asked Anderson about a lawsuit in Florida, in which she is a plaintiff, that challenges book bans in the state.
“When it comes to state legislation…we are trying to talk to all the different state politicians, but the lawsuits are one of the tools that we need,” she said.
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
