If you want to read a book with a tough topic, read an Ellen Hopkins book.  She writes about it all – addiction, abuse, teen prostitution…and she does it so well.  She is not afraid to write about those topics that really need attention, but she doesn’t judge.  She writes about it in a way that is empathetic and tender, but she gets the gritty details in there, too.  Her newest book, Traffick, just published this week, is a sequel to Tricks, which is about teens in Las Vegas who end up in prostitution – some by their choice, and some not.

Hopkins has taken a lot of slack for her books; she has been on the ALA’s list of most challenged books often, and has been criticized for writing about the topics she chooses.  But here’s my opinion: the stuff she writes about really does happen in our lives, and there need to be books out there for those who experience it to connect with.  If you don’t want to read it, then don’t.

Here is a video interview with Hopkins about her new book.  Check it out, then come by the library to grab one of her books – if you can find one!  They are pretty popular, so they may not be checked in.  🙂

Happy Reading!