This is an extremely important post to read as banned book week coincides with the escalation of challenges to books by YA authors all around the country (and, perhaps, with the escalation of our collective denial about what teenage life actually looks like.)
We've Got a Whole Lot of Crazy Going On
This is an excellent post and you should all read it, that's all.
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When I first took a look at Crank, I thought it was an empty contribution to the confessionals genre, which I had no use for. But what the hell do I know? During the 3 years that I tutored kids on probation, I saw more kids reading Ellen Hopkins than any other author, and not only did I see more kids reading Crank & its siblings, I saw kids reading Crank who wouldn't go near other books, kids who normally hated to read. That, to me, says that Ellen Hopkins (oh and dude, i totally didn't know Ellen Hopkins had an LJ) is doing exactly what adults want books to do: teach their children something meaningful about their own lives, and maybe even help them cope with their lives.
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Oh, and that challenge in Kentucky to Twisted, Lessons from a Dead Girl, and other books that we thought had ended? it's back on and the books have been banned all over again by the superintendent.
