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