''You Can’t Say That! Writers for Young People Talk About Censorship, Free Expression, and the Stories They Have to Tell'' is a 2021 young adult non-fiction book edited by young adult author and literary critic Leonard S. Marcus. The book is a collection of interviews of popular children's and young adult writers about their experiences with

book censorship Book censorship is the act of some authority taking measures to suppress ideas and information within a book. Censorship is "the regulation of free speech and other forms of entrenched authority". Censors typically identify as either a concerned ...

. It was published by

Candlewick Press Candlewick Press, established in 1992 and located in Somerville, Massachusetts, is part of the Walker Books group. The logo depicting a bear carrying a candle is based on Walker Books's original logo. History Sebastian Walker launched Walker Boo ...

Authors interviewed

Matt de la Peña Matthew de la Peña is an American writer of children's books who specializes in novels for young adults. He won the Newbery Medal in 2016 for his book '' Last Stop on Market Street''. Biography A San Diego, California, native, Matt de la Peña r ...

* Robie H. Harris *

Susan Kuklin Susan Kuklin (born 1941) is an American photographer and award-winning writer. Kuklin was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, then studied theater at New York University and the Herbert Berghof School. After graduate school at NYU, Kuk ...

David Levithan David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American young adult fiction author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numer ...

Meg Medina Meg Medina is an American children’s book author of Cuban descent whose books celebrate Latino culture and the lives of young people. She served as th2023 – 2024 National Ambassador of Young People’s Literature Medina is the recipient of t ...

Lesléa Newman Lesléa Newman (born November 5, 1955, in Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the ...

Katherine Paterson Katherine Paterson (née Womeldorf; born October 31, 1932) is an American writer best known for Children's literature, children's novels, including ''Bridge to Terabithia (novel), Bridge to Terabithia'' (1977), which won the Newbery Medal in 197 ...

Dav Pilkey David Murray "Dav" Pilkey Jr. (; born March 4, 1966) is an American comic book writer of children's fiction. He is best known as the author and illustrator of the children's book series ''Captain Underpants'' and its spin-off children's graphic ...

* Justin Richardson and

Peter Parnell Peter Parnell (; born 1953) is an American Broadway and Off-Broadway playwright, television writer, and children's book author. Parnell is also Vice-President of the Dramatists Guild of America, the professional association of playwrights, compo ...

* Sonya Sones *

R. L. Stine Robert Lawrence Stine (; born October 8, 1943) is an American novelist. He is the writer of '' Goosebumps,'' a horror fiction novel series which has sold over 400 million copies globally in 35 languages, becoming the second- best-selling book ...

Angie Thomas Angie Thomas (born September 20, 1988) is an American young adult author, best known for writing '' The Hate U Give'' (2017). Her second young adult novel, '' On the Come Up'', was released on February 25, 2019. Early life Angie Thomas was born ...

Critical reception

''You Can't Say That!'' received

starred review A starred review is a book review marked with a star to denote a book of distinction or particularly high quality. A starred review can help to increase media coverage, bookstore placement and sales of a book. Outlets that published starred review ...

s from ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

'' and ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

''. ''Publishers Weekly'' reviewed, "Marcus’s 13 interviews with writers whose works have provoked controversy deliver more than the book’s title suggests". ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'' called it "a calm, cohesive take on a hot-button issue". A review in ''

The Horn Book ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'' noted, "Marcus provides welcome context in each author’s work and life as a whole, demonstrating that intellectual freedom is a right that permeates all creative work". A ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' review by

Suzanne Nossel Suzanne F. Nossel is a former government official, human rights advocate, author, and former CEO of PEN America. She has served in a variety of leadership roles in the corporate, non-profit, and government sectors and led PEN America from 2013 - ...

said, "Marcus’s interviews spotlight what is at stake when books are challenged". The book received a positive review from the Intellectual Freedom Blog of the

American Library Association The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world. History 19th century ...

Audio adaptation

The audio adaptation of ''You Can't Say That!'' was narrated by Tom Parks, Thom Rivera, Janet Metzger, Roxanne Hernandez, Arthur Morey, and

Susan Dalian Susan Patterson Dalian (born September 15, 1968) is an American actress who is primarily known among anime fans as the voice of Haku in the first season of ''Naruto'' and the Screen Gems film ''The Brothers''. Early life and education Dalian ...

References

{{Reflist Book censorship 2021 non-fiction books