I think the value in books like mine, and a great number by other talented writers, is in the ability to bring dark subjects into the open where they are not so dark, where they can be talked about and considered by teens and adults alike.
My first book, 'Running Loose', was censored back in 1983 or '84. Every book I've written since has been censored somewhere.
You have to be careful not to use anything too colloquial or you date the book.
Sometimes a book is better than it ever had a right to be because of the history the reader brings to the reading and because of the methods educators use to bring a particular story alive.
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