Since 2023, 40% of the books have been pulled from bookshelves because their content including protagonists or prominent secondary characters of color are banned or censored. Sherman Alexxie, author of the article, “WHy the best Kids Books are Written in Blood,” explains in his article why censoring young adult books limits students' exposure to different perspectives of life and the ability for them to relate to these topics. Sherman Alexie effectively uses rhetorical devices such as pathos and anecdotes to make a strong case against banning and censoring young adult books. In the article, “Why the Best Kids Books are Written in Blood”, the author uses rhetorical devices to contend that young adult books shouldn’t be censored/banned. When …show more content…
In his letter, the author explains that he receives countless handwritten letters ranging from teenagers to even kids. Inside of them are messages expressing how his book made them feel and expressing gratitude to him. Almost everyday, my mailbox is filled with handwritten letters from students, teens, and preteens who have read my young adult books and loved them. (Alexie, 6) After numerous letters, Sherman Alexia also mentions that no student has ever been debilitated after reading his book, Rather they are inspired to express themselves creatively without fear of being judged since the author himself was able to overcome his problems. Similar to their first point, the writer also provides another example of using an anecdotes to further support their argument. The author shares a story where he was speaking to an audience who had all read his book at an alternative high school. Part of his speech was about his personal struggles as an Indian boy living on a reservation. Afterwards, the author shares what kind of impact his speech had on the audience. “After the ceremony, many of the graduates held my hand, hugged him, took photos with him and asked questions about the book and his life. When the author uses the rhetorical device anecdote,the story he provides reveals the impact young adult novels have. Young adult novels help students from