Places I Never Meant to Be—Original Stories by Censored Writers

"What effect does [the climate of censorship] have on a writer?....It's chilling.

It's easy to become discouraged, to second-guess everything you write. There seemed to be no one to stand up to the censors....so I began to speak out about my experiences. And once I did, I found that I wasn't as alone as I'd thought."

-- from Judy Blume's introduction to Places I Never Meant to Be

Judy Blume is not alone: Many of today's most distinguished authors of books for young people have found their work censored or challenged. Eleven of them have contributed original stories to this collection. Along with a story written by the late Norma Klein when she was a student at Barnard College, they comprise a stunning literary achievement as well as a battle cry against censorship.

Contributors

David Klass

Norma Klein

Julius Lester

Chris Lynch

Harry Mazer

Norma Fox Mazer

Walter Dean Myers

Katherine Paterson

Susan Beth Pfeffer

Rachel Vail

Jacqueline Woodson

Paul Zindel