Promotional material for "The Pat Scales Lecture Series." By William Deaver
On Mar 9, author Ashley Hope Pérez held a book signing and lecture in the Pat Scales Room of Carmichael Library. Pérez discussed her new project “Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers Rights,” an anthology of stories and poems on book bans.
Pérez’s 2015 book “Out of Darkness” is banned in at least 29 school districts, though the restrictions on the book didn’t start until 2021.
“‘Out of Darkness’ was in the first of what I referred to as bulk book bans,” said Pérez. “And then a few days later, this lady in Lake Travis gave a very colorful comment at a school board.”
Groups like Moms for Liberty advocated to have Pérez’s book among others banned in more school districts. By the first half of 2023, “Out of Darkness” was banned in 44 school districts in the United States.
“Out of Darkness” tells the story of the 1937 New London school explosion and how it affected both African American and Latino communities. “To engage honestly with the realities of the time and of my characters’ lives, I had to grapple with systemic racism, personal prejudice, sexual abuse and domestic violence,” Pérez wrote in an NPR article.
These are often the kind of subjects that censorship groups go after, along with LQBTQ characters and physical violence. Between 2021 and 2025 there were over 22 million instances of books being banned, according to Pérez.
Focusing on what kind of books are more likely to be banned, Pérez noted that authors from more marginalized groups are more likely to be censored.
“If I hold up David Levithan’s ‘Two Boys Kissing’ and I say, ‘This is garbage’, I am creating a platform for communicating a message of exclusion to queer kids,” said Pérez. “When those folks win, students come away knowing that no one has their back, that they’re not going to be protected or supported in their community.”
After her presentation, Pérez answered questions about writing, censorship and her experience teaching. “Banned Together: Our Fight for Readers’ Rights” and “Out of Darkness” are available on Amazon and at retail stores.
