When Your Book Gets Banned by the School Board
How did Ashley Pérez’s novel Out of Darkness get blackballed from schools across the country?
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Episode Notes
Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence—nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more diverse stories. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to the outrage?
Guest: Ashley Hope Pérez, author of three YA novels, including Out of Darkness, and professor of literature at Ohio State University.
Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad.
