Drama named to the ALA Banned Books List for 2019

Did you know this is National Library Week? For me, that means finding out that my graphic novel from 2012, Drama, has once again made the American Library Association’s Banned Books List, all these years later! The Banned Books List is a list the ALA releases every year, ranking the books that have been challenged most due to content that some people find objectionable.

Drama is the story of Callie, a girl in middle school who loves stage crew and theater and who has twin best friends who are gay. The characters in that story are based on real people, real friends of mine. In high school I had two best friends who were gay twin brothers, and our relationship pretty much mirrors what you see on the page, except I fictionalized it and made it for a young audience.

When Drama first started showing up on the Banned Books List, I had a lot of people asking if I wanted to make a statement. I always say that my statement is the book. My viewpoint is it’s better to live in a world where we love and accept each other than one where we don’t!

If your school is challenging Drama or another book, or if you just want to read more about the Banned Books List and the importance of the freedom to read and publish, you can check out the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom website!