Why would Woven be banned?

Books are banned for some pretty ridiculous reasons. But I’m proud to say that all of my books probably could be banned. 

At least, they share many of the same traits and themes seen in commonly banned books. This is something I’m quite proud of. 

(Also, check out the Banned Books website for information and resources.)

Today I want to talk about my first series, Woven. 

No matter how many books I write, this will always be my first baby. So let’s talk about why it would totally be banned.

Homosexual activity

This is one that always trips up books. Especially young adult books. And yes, shockingly, there are gay characters in Woven. There’s even gay marriage in the first book, Broken Patterns.

I didn’t do this because I want Ally points or to be woke. I wrote gay characters, and a battle for gay rights, into my book because it’s something I’ve experienced in my life. The LGBTQ+ struggle is one Millenials have experienced since we were children. Of course, I’m going to write about it. 

Discussion of mental illness

In the second book of Woven, the main character Lenore is struggling with depression. 

I’ve struggled with anxiety. People I love deal with depression. Mental illness is a real problem and we need to be more open about it. So, when I was writing about Lenore, I wanted to write about something I was going through. I wanted to write not just about suffering from depression, but about being the partner of someone who is suffering.

Discussions of rape and abuse

I’m kind of shocked when people are surprised that bad guys in books are, ya know, bad. But Calvin, who’s the antagonist for much of the Woven series, is a bad guy. He raped people. He beat the hell out of people. He is not a good person. 

That’s made most clear, I think, in the prequel book Falling From Grace. 

We cannot be afraid to write bad guys as bad. Even Magneto, the most understandable bad guy of all time, has done horrific things. 

I’m not saying I wrote a snuff scene here. I’m saying that the antagonist in my books does bad things.

So, my fellow writers, it’s your turn. Why would your book be banned? Let us know in the comments. And please, provide links to your potentially banned books. 

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