For a while now, I’ve wondered if the contents of my book Hush Puppy might keep it out of school libraries. There’s some language and sexual situations that I’m not sure 100% of parents out there would be ok with. But overall, compared to the onslaught of violence and sex American teens are faced with every day in television, movies and video games, I think my book is pretty tame.
Teens today know far more about the world than many adults give them credit for. My opinion is that to ignore that part of their life is doing them a disservice in the long run. We can pretend as parents that children don’t grow up, but that doesn’t make it the truth. I’d rather have that conversation with my children, openly and honestly, than pretend it doesn’t exist.
The truth is, in real life, teens have to deal with hard stuff every day. They might be homeless, or poor, or abused. If they aren’t now, it could happen to them in the future. What better place to explore those issues than in the safety of fiction? What do you think?
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