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