Laurie Halse Anderson, icon of young adult literature and winner of the 2015 , speaks out for honest books for teens.
And, she knows from whence she speaks. Since its publication release in 1999, her novel Speak, a National Book Award finalist, has been challenged on its content about rape, sexual assault and suicidal thoughts. Yet, despite the controversies, English teachers, who believe with Laurie that 鈥渙ur children cannot afford to have the truth of the world withheld from them,鈥� continue to teach Speak in their classrooms.
Fans of the novel affirm it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ic1c_MaAMOI
鈥淭hey need us to be brave enough to give them great books so they can grow into the strong women and men they need to be.鈥�