Leonard S. Marcus

Gr 7 Up—Introduced by a brief history of the struggle over intellectual freedom in the United States, this anthology
documents conversations with authors whose books for young people have been frequently and famously banned.
Each conversation is prefaced with an engaging summary of the author's life and work. Those studying freedom of
speech will find important primary sources and gain insight into the harmful impact of censorship on individuals and
society.

I enjoyed this book, though it was not always heart-warming to read about an admired author's quirks and imperiousness. She was a complicated person, with a rich artistic and spiritual life, and it's clearly not easy to keep all that together with family life/public persona/etc. Glad I read it, though, and it's pointed me to another memoir by her friends that I think I shall also have to read. And to go look through my library to see if I still have my Madeleine L'Engle collection.