VIDEO: Laurie Halse Anderson reacts to politicians calling her book ‘pornographic’

Republicans say book bans stop pornography. Watch Laurie Halse Anderson’s one-sentence reaction.

@iowastartingline Republicans say book bans stop pornography. Watch Laurie Halse Anderson’s one-sentence reaction. Read the full story at the link in our bio. #iowa #iowanews #lauriehalseanderson #bannedbooks #iowans #lawsuit #iowapolitics ♬ original sound – Iowa Starting Line

Anderson’s bestselling novel “Speak,” published in 1999, tells the story of a high school freshman named Melinda who was sexually assaulted the year prior to the book’s setting.

Republicans across the nation have put “Speak” and other books like it on book ban lists, categorizing them as “pornographic” and inappropriate.

Anderson recently joined as a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state of Iowa for such book bans sanctioned by Senate File 496. She joined alongside major US book publisher Penguin Random House, the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), an Iowa high school student, two Iowa middle school teachers, an Iowa K-12 librarian, and bestselling young adult authors John Green, Jodi Picoult, and Malinda Lo. This clip is from the announcement of that lawsuit.