I [Heart] Chris Crutcher

From a commentary in the Book Standard: "Our schools are filled with kids who have been treated badly all their lives. They don’t tell anyone, because there is shame in being treated badly. Many—girls and boys—have been sexually mistreated. Still others struggle in fear with sexual identity. They respond with eating disorders, cutting, suicidal thought or action. I can’t tell you how many letters I’ve received from kids who found a friend in one of my books, a character who speaks to them. And if I get those letters, think of the letters Walter Dean Myers, or Lois Lowry, or Judy Blume get, thanking us for letting them know, through literature, that they are not alone.

In light of all that, there’s really only one thing to say to the censors. Shut up."

Read the whole thing. Also, be sure to visit Crutcher's web site for many true stories of how his amazing books continue to be challenged across this allegedly free country. He also provides a nifty Banned Books Week press kit.