Speak up about SPEAK

"A good education depends on protecting free speech and the right to read, inquire, question, and think for ourselves."

You should read the whole letter that comes from.

You can also hear a video of Laurie Halse Anderson reading a poem that includes words written to her by a lot of young people after reading her book Speak. One sentence stood out for me: "Your book cracks my shell." Because the book is entitled "Speak," Laurie entitled the poem "Listen." You should. You should listen to her poem. She reads it well, though the words may be hard to hear.

And if you are on Facebook, read Laurie's notes, a continuing series of reports about what's happening to her books. Just this past week Twisted was one of several books challenged by a parent.

To read what some of us have posted on the Banned Books blog about Speak, click here. If you've read the book, tell us about it in the comments.