Ellen Hopkins has one of the most unique and distinct styles of any author I’ve ever read. I remember reading some of her books when I was in school. They were the first books that made me like poetry. Her books tackle difficult topics that affect teens. This is why I was both surprised and disappointed to learn that one of her books, Tricks, is banned in my local county school district.

There is not a single part of this book that glorifies prostitution. There is not a single moment of this book that glamorizes the life of a teen prostitute. At the end, the author makes it a point to highlight resources available to help teens escape this life. At the end of the day, these children are not criminals; they are victims. This book emphasizes that. The statistic in the author’s note at the end of the book states that the average age of a prostitute in the United States at the time of the book’s publication in 2009 was twelve. I’m going to repeat that just in case you thought you might have read it wrong. In 2009, the average age of a prostitute in the United States was twelve. After some Googling, it does not appear that this statistic has changed. Most studies reflect an average age between 12 and 16.

Reading this as an adult, you feel so sorry for these children. Despite this being fiction, the stories feel all too real. I remember being an insecure teenager (Hell, I am often an insecure adult). I was lucky to be surrounded by adults who not only cared about me but were actively, sometimes too actively, involved in my life. Not every teenager has that and even those that do can trust the wrong person or encounter bad luck. This book reminds us of that. I see no reason why it should be banned.

You should read it for yourself and read more banned books.