


Hopkins has helped raise her grandchildren and has been inspired to write a number of novels based upon her family’s experiences. “To say this stuff won’t happen if they don’t read about it, I mean, I just don’t even know where the logic is,” she said. Hopkins said it’s better to address issues rather than ignore them and pretend they don’t exist, as her opponents are trying to do. They’re trafficking kids in front of all those big, beautiful casinos.” “I was talking to kids on the street in Las Vegas.

“I worked with Las Vegas vice,” she told The Daily Beast. In Tricks, a novel about human trafficking, Hopkins took a similar approach. “She met a guy and her life, her dreams, were gone at 18 years old… So, if I could turn one kid off from that path, I would happy.” She had everything going for her,” Hopkins said. “ went to church, she was a straight-A kid. The story, which is written like a poem, details the downfall of a teen and the choices she’s forced to make between drug use, teenage parenting, prostitution, and homelessness. She began writing her first book, Crank, after watching her daughter, who was once the “perfect kid,” struggle. Hopkins’ writing career was inspired by her own life. In an interview with The Daily Beast, Hopkins said she would love to have a constructive dialogue with parents and community members who are hesitant about her books, but they typically avoid the conversation. The report, which was released Monday, illustrates just how prevalent bans have become, driving wedges in local communities.

Texas banned the most books, followed by Florida and then Pennsylvania. An index in the report also shows the locations of each book ban, along with who challenged the book. It provides insight into book bans across the country, revealing that there were over 2,500 bans across 140 school districts during the previous academic year, affecting 1,648 titles by 1,261 different authors. The report was released in conjunction with Banned Books Week, which began Sunday and is organized by groups dedicated to promoting free expression in the U.S.
