Young-adult author discusses censorship battles

The reason novelist Chris Crutcher's books get banned repeatedly from libraries is one of the reasons he thinks they are so valuable to young adults -- the sometimes harsh, real-life language that inevitably accompanies them.

"If you back of the language used to a little girl who is abused, that means you have to back off of her heroism," Crutcher said Tuesday night. "I think it's disrespectful to lift the weight that she had to hear and deal with all by herself."

Crutcher, whose books include "Whale Talk" and "Running Loose," spoke to a group of Southeast Missouri librarians and Jackson High School students about censorship and the faces behind his topics, which he gained insight into as a child and family therapist in Oakland, Calif. Crutcher's controversial topics include abortion, sex, race, suicide and homosexuality.

"Whale Talk," for example, deals with racism and bullying and has been banned repeatedly for profane language. But the language is what makes the books more realistic and meaningful to students, he said.

"It's out there in the real world," he said. "If you're real, that's how you can make a connection with a whole lot of kids in a whole lot of ways."

Crutcher said it's his job to manage intimacy with his readers.

"If someone can find a character that they can relate to, then they're not alone," he said.

Mary Pensel, regional chair of Missouri Association of School Librarians Southeast Region, said the group wanted Crutcher to speak because he speaks to a topic close to a librarian's heart.

"The freedom to read is our cause," she said. "A library is supposed to provide book choices. An individual choice is what's right for you. If it's not, make another choice."

And Crutcher is a popular author at Jackson High School, she said. Of his 20 books available to be checked out, only one remained on the shelves Tuesday.

Senior Jason Littleton, 17, of Jackson, attended the event. Littleton has read several of Crutcher's short stories.

"I like him because he's not scared to write about things that really go on," Littleton said. "I can relate to his stories. And as far as someone banning his books, that offends me. When you ban a book from a school, it's not just your child that can't read it, it's everybody's child. That's annoying."

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