Censorship in America: Why Are Adults so Afraid of the Real World?

In the past twenty years, Laurie Halse Anderson has spoken to more than a million middle and high school students. She has listened to their real world problems, fears, and joys. The pressures they struggle with – bullying, sexual violence, insecurities, academic problems, family disfunction, substance abuse, eating disorders, identity – are enough to make a compassionate person weep in despair. At the same time, several of her young adult novels have been targeted for removal from classrooms and libraries by adults who fear that exposing teens to today’s realities will harm them. In this timely discussion, Laurie Halse Anderson explores the current state of censorship in America, how everyone came to be so afraid of the real world, and the steps we can take to productively reconcile sensitivity with reality.