"Books are, at their heart, dangerous."

Libba Bray's tweets defending contemporary young-adult fiction.

Darkness Too Visible
Amy Freeman, a 46-year-old mother of three, stood recently in the young-adult section of her local Barnes & Noble, in Bethesda, Md., feeling thwarted and disheartened. She had popped into the bookstore to pick up a welcome-home gift for her 13-year-old, who had been away.
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libbabray @libbabray
I'd like to roll my eyes at this article, but I can't. And not just because one of my eyes doesn't move that way. But because I genuinely
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:51:20
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libbabray @libbabray
believe that these articles are hurtful, that they goad banners & keep much-needed books out of the hands of the teens who should be reading
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:52:09
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libbabray @libbabray
them. Books are, at their heart, dangerous. Yes, dangerous. Because they challenge us: our prejudices, our blind spots. They open us to new
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:53:10
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libbabray @libbabray
ideas, new ways of seeing. They make us hurt in all the right ways. They can push down the barricades of "them" & widen the circle of "us"
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:54:14
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libbabray @libbabray
And when one feels alone--say, because of a terrible burden of a secret, something that creates pain and isolation, books can heal, connect
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:55:39
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libbabray @libbabray
That's what good books do. That's what hard books do. And we need them in the world. I'm going to shut up now, @WSJ. But only for a little
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:56:49
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libbabray @libbabray
while and only because I want dessert.
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:57:06
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libbabray @libbabray
P.S. Sorry, one more thing: Just so you know @wsj librarians are superheroes without capes. Maybe we could get funding for them. Thanks.
Sat, Jun 04 2011 18:59:01
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