Letter About Book Banning From One of The Targeted Authors
To the editor:
Below is the letter I mailed to the school board. I am one of the authors whose books were proposed for banning despite no one on the school board having read them.
– April Henry Portland, Oregon
School Board Members La Grange ISD I was shocked to learn that one of my books, Eyes of the Forest, was being challenged by school board members at La Grange ISD. It was especially disheartening to learn that the challengers have not read the book, nor any of the others that were challenged!
Every week I hear from teens who say they never liked to read until they found my books. Several of my books have been on the Texas Taysha’s list. Moreover, my books are consistently named to state award lists all over the country. My most recent novel is a finalist for the Edgar Award.
I consciously write what is sometimes called “clean teen,” and my main characters don’t have sex, use drugs, smoke, drink, or swear. I’m flummoxed by the idea that anyone might think the book contains “filth, vulgarity and sexual content.” It does not, nor do any of my teen books.
Rather than reading the actual books, it appears that a haphazard game of telephone is going on, one that never goes back to the source. It is ironic to think that if a student in your school district was writing a paper, they would be required to quote accurately and cite their sources before drawing conclusions.
Common Sense Media, which offers concerned parents and librarians evaluations of children’s books on a variety of issues, gave Eyes of the Forest four stars and rated it for 12 and up, saying it was a “Suspenseful kidnapping tale that fantasy fans will love.” Its ratings singled out the book for having many positive messages and positive role models.
Eyes of the Forest has also won several honors, including:
• The Georgia’s Tome Society “It List” for young adult literature
• Oregon Book Award finalist • Missouri Truman Readers Award
• South Dakota Teen Choice Award
BookPage called Eyes of the Forest “suspenseful, captivating” and said “Henry’s engaging and often thrilling narrative is told from multiple points of view, allowing readers close access to the motivations of all her main characters. She expertly examines the darker side of the culture of fandom, including pressures it puts on creators, and how fans themselves get out of hand.”
Kirkus said, “The excellent pacing, shifting between the perspectives of the main characters, adds to the suspenseful feeling of a ticking clock, and readers come to understand everyone’s motivations. Apart from Indian American Ajay, main characters are White. Offers a suspenseful and dastardly plot entwined with fan culture and mystery. (Thriller. 12-18) Publishers Weekly said, “In this mystery with a clever twist by Henry (Playing with Fire), a George R.R. Martin– esque author is forced to write in captivity, his only hope of rescue lying with his teenage Portland, Ore.–based assistant,” adding,“its brisk pacing and sensational premise will have wide appeal.”
Even the New Zealand Herald said, “ Eyes of the Forest - the name of both this novel and Bob’s novel within the book - conveys the power of story and how much the world invests in it, and the way in which a writer who has had success unleashed upon him becomes vulnerable to the expectations of his readers.” The review ended with “This was a wildly entertaining novel, aimed at a young adult audience of those about 13 years old and up, and actual adults who love a good yarn.”
Eyes of the Forest was my love letter to reading and writing, and it breaks my heart to think that your students might not be allowed to read it. I’m against censorship in principle and I find it especially concerning that’s you’re asking to remove several books you haven’t even read. I hope you’ll do the right thing and make Eyes of the Forest as well as the other challenged books available to your students.
April Henry Portland, Oregon