In recent weeks, Laurie Halse Anderson received notice of three attempts to ban two of her books, Twisted, and Speak. Luckily, both Speak and Twisted survived these attempts and are still allowed to be taught in classrooms in Temecula, CA (Speak) and Mt. Sterling, KY (Twisted). However, these attempted bans never fail to remind us how valuable literature is to our nation’s teens.
As a high school teacher in rural Tennessee, I understand parental concerns regarding the appropriateness of language and other content in books. However, what parents sometimes fail to realize is that life has changed since they were in school. Rather than shelter their children from the evils of the world, in my opinion, it would be better to be blatantly honest with their children, in order to prepare them for the potential situations they might face–rape, suicide, eating disorders–situations like those found in Halse Anderson’s books.
Speak, one of my favorite books due to its literary quality and presentation of raw truth, is critical for teens to read in that it deals with sexual assault. Halse Anderson beautifully illustrates the physical, mental, and even verbal results of date rape–a very real and prominent issue in teens’ lives. What parents, teachers, and school administrators must realize is that Melinda Sordino’s story does not differ much from those of many girls in their schools. Through Speak, Halse-Anderson reveals the consequences of underage drinking and partying, as well as the consequences of rape victims remaining silent. Had Melinda Sordino told her parents what happened immediately after the assault, the perpetrator would probably not be roaming around to victimize others. In Melinda’s case, after being the victim of threats and even violence, she finally finds her voice months later to save her best friend from the same fate.
The content of Speak is harsh and raw. However, it is the truth, which is often not pleasant. The value of this book to teens is immeasurable. Melinda’s story encourages teens to find their voices and scream to the top of their lungs when it comes to a decision that should never be made for them.
Twisted, another book by Halse Anderson that survived an attempted ban in Kentucky, is the story of Tyler Miller, labeled as a delinquent and falsely accused of taking illicit photographs of a drunken girl at a party and then posting them on the Internet. No, this story is certainly not sugar-coated, but life as a teenager is anything but syrupy sweet.
Every day in American high schools, students, boys in particular, are labeled as troublemakers due to their past actions. However, as Halse Anderson points out, being a troublemaker doesn’t make a person automatically guilty of every crime committed. While on the surface, this story is about a false accusation, it is so much more. Twisted reveals the brutal cruelty of high school and its consequences. As a result of this false accusation, Tyler is ostracized at school, separated from his classmates, beaten, and treated as a criminal–which leads to humiliation, depression, and yes, thoughts of suicide–all because he was at a party, in the wrong place at the wrong time. These are issues all teens, male and female, deal with.
Yes, some teens consider suicide. However, Halse Anderson does not condone suicide. Rather, through Tyler’s character, she reveals that suicide is never the answer and that one must face problems head-on in order to overcome them.
Laurie Halse Anderson is one of the most brilliant authors of our time and is not afraid to address critical teen issues head-on, no-holds-barred. Rather than focusing on attempting to ban these books, I would suggest that parents, teachers, and school administrators read them. That way, they will find the immeasurable value of real, high-quality literature in our schools and to our teens. Additionally, adults might just learn something about the problems and issues our teens face daily in high schools across our nation, from the smallest of towns to the largest of cities.
In addition to Speak and Twisted, I highly recommend Wintergirls, also by Halse Anderson, which reveals the self-destructive behavior that results from anorexia. Other books I recommend that deal with critical teen issues include Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen, which deals with sexual assault. Also by Dessen, I highly recommend Dreamland, which addresses the all-too-prominent issue of abusive teen relationships, as well as Lock and Key, which addresses the issue of teens being abused by their parents.
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