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Author jodi picoult This fall he has had the dubious honor of being banned in two mediums – his books and now the musical based on his novel “Between the Lines.”
Picoult says, “I’m pretty sure I’m the first writer to have applied censorship to what are now two different types of media.” “To be honest, I’m not here to be salacious. I’m writing the world as it is, and I’m honestly just trying to write about difficult issues that people have a hard time talking about because that’s what fiction and art do.”
Superintendent of Mississinewa High School in Gas City, Indianacanceled a production of “Between the Lines” last week, saying concerns were raised over “sexual innuendo” and references to alcohol in the musical. Superintendent Jeremy Fewell did not respond to a request for comment.
Picoult says, “It is devastating for us to know that children who put in hundreds of hours of hard work were taken away from them because of the objections of a single parent.”
“What I know, probably better than most people, as someone whose books have been banned, is that when one parent starts deciding what is appropriate and what is inappropriate for the other parent’s children, we have a big problem.”
Picoult noted that the same Indiana high school that previously produced “Grease” is where sexual assault and alcohol abuse abound, including pregnancy scares, sex-crazed teens and the line “Did he fight?”
“Between the Lines” focuses on Delilah, an outsider at a new high school, who finds solace in a book and realizes she has the power to write her own story and narrate her own life. “It’s a very gentle message. And it’s really very important for today’s teenagers,” says Picoult.
The original work, which includes a non-binary character, was edited with already licensed changes to make it more palatable to conservative audiences, including removing any reference to the non-binary character’s gender orientation.
The production was scheduled for Halloween weekend at the Gas City Performing Arts Center. The show features music and lyrics by Elisa Samsel and Kate Anderson, and a story by Timothy Allen MacDonald, based on the 2012 novel by Picoult and her daughter, Samantha Van Leer. It played Off-Broadway in 2022.
Picoult, the best-selling author of “My Sister’s Keeper” and “Small Great Things,” also wrote “Nineteen Minutes,” about the moments surrounding a school shooting, which was banned 16 times in the 2024-2025 school year, according to PEN America, making her the fourth most banned author in the country.
“20 books were banned in one of my school districts Florida She was alone over the objections of a single parent and admitted that she had not read any of the books,” said Picoult, a trustee of PEN America. She said they were banned for ‘mature content and sexuality.’ I had books that didn’t have a single kiss in them.
The campaign to ban books has also spread to many stages. The Dramatists Legal Defense Fund has documented recent challenging plays and musicals in states including Pennsylvania, Florida, Indiana. kansasohio and new Jersey When parents or teachers complained that the social themes of the works were not suitable for minors.
Northern Lebanon High School in Fredericksburg, Pennsylvania, canceled the 2024 production of “The Addams Family,” citing concerns over scenes of violence, children smoking and subtle queer themes. Paula Vogel’s play “Indecent,” which explores a flashpoint in Jewish and queer theatrical history, was abruptly canceled in Duval County, Florida in 2023 for “inappropriate” sexual dialogue.
Last year, the Educational Theater Association asked more than 1,800 theater teachers in public and private schools across the US about censorship. More than 75% of respondents reported pressure to reconsider their drama and music choices during the 2023-24 school year.
“We are not protecting children,” Picoult said. “We are robbing them of the very materials we use to deal with an increasingly complex world.”