Huffman 1

Jaceylyn Huffman

Professor Katy Whittingham

ENGL 2010

21 February 2023

Looking at Banned Books from an Author’s Perspective

The window is slightly pushed open as a light breeze and the sound of four children out

in the yard laughing fills Shannon Hale’s office. Her

bookshelves full of worlds, some of which she wrote, tower

over her near her desk. Her gaze hardens at the screen, a list of

newly banned books from the Alpine school district blankly

stares back at her. As she read the list, patterns and connections

between the books were becoming clear. Opening another tab

on her screen she searches for the top 10 most challenged books

that the American Library Association compiles every year.

Looking at the 2021 list she notices the similarities between this list and the list of banned books

that Alpine has, many of them included people of color and LGBTQ+ characters (The Salt Lake

Tribune). Living in Utah comes with unique challenges, icy winters, blistering summers, road

construction at the worst times, Hale could deal with all of that. But banning books that teach

children empathy and help validate a person’s identity? (KUER) She would not stand by and

watch these books disappear from school shelves without standing up for them.

Hale decided she was going to do what she loved to get her point across, write. Being a

New York Times best-selling author of 40 books, (Shannon Hale) writing was something she
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believed to be one of her best skills. She believed that an open letter on book banning, to help

those understand the importance of books and diversity in children’s lives, would be the best

(The Salt Lake Tribune). The first draft was going to be messy, as Hale knows they all are,

especially when the letter you are writing needs to sound professional yet human. Too

professional and readers would not be able to relate and feel a human connection, but too casual

and it would not have any authority. Here she was again, sitting at her desk staring at the

computer screen, but instead of a hardened gaze, there was fire and determination behind her

eyes. No sound of laughter from her children as they had gone to bed for the night, no light

breeze as it was too chilly to open the window. The desk lamp dimly lit her workspace, it was

getting late but when struck with such determination and drive she could not stop.

Now that the letter was done, she needed support and

names to give her work that extra step up. If it were

merely just her name on the letter, it was bound to go

nowhere. But with multiple names and supporters, this

letter would be difficult to ignore. Her loving husband

signed, knowing that not only was his wife passionate

about the topic but as an author himself he agreed that

something had to be done. Friends, family, and fellow parents, all agreed to sign Hale’s letter.

This wasn’t just for their children but for children all over who did not have a voice in what their

school libraries could or could not have.

Publishing work is nerve-racking, the hours of work and sleepless nights of creating

something that you are proud of feel easy compared to the action of publishing. Once published,

the work is out of your hands and you have no control over how the public reacts. This wasn’t
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Hale’s first time publishing her work, far from it, but there is always that voice in the back of her

head. But her dedication and determination outweighed those negative thoughts, this was for the

children who have a right to see diverse representation in their books.

Living in Utah had its unique challenges, Shannon Hale knew this, but she adapted. But

now as banned books became an issue, unlike the icy

winters and the blistering summers, Hale could do

something about this. She would do what she did best,

what got her to be a New York Times best-selling author,

write. She would use her skills to communicate the

importance of diverse book selections and their accessibility to children. These books teach

children empathy and validation, which at times feels rare in society. She is determined to stand

with educators and libraries, those who know firsthand the importance of a diverse book

selection and the impact it can have on a child’s perspective and compassion.
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Work Cited

Shannon Hale. “Commentary: Access to books and information is basic to a healthy democracy”

The Salt Lake Tribune, 21 Feb. 2023,

https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2022/09/16/commentary-access-books/

Martha Harris. “Utah authors, librarians and teachers call for more open minds rather than more

banned books” KUER 90.1, 21 Feb. 2023

https://www.kuer.org/education/2022-09-19/utah-authors-librarians-and-teachers-call-

for-more-open-minds-rather-than-more-banned-books

Shannon Hale. “Bio” Shannon Hale.com 21, Feb. 2023, https://shannonhale.com/bio