BOOK BANNING SILENCES SURVIVORS AND EMPOWERS PREDATORS AND PERPETRATORS.

In the United States, rich, powerful men and their enablers are getting away with sexually abusing and trafficking girls, but my realistic young adult novels depicting survivors of sexual abuse and trafficking are banned in certain districts and continue to be put under review (2.10.2026): “In compliance with Texas Senate Bill 13 (SB13), New Braunfels ISD is conducting a comprehensive review of library materials to ensure all books available to students align with state guidelines. Using a combination of internal review tools and third-party vendor resources, we have identified titles that require additional evaluation. These books appear in the table below as ‘Under Review.’”

FREUDIAN SLIP

On more than one occasion, I’ve had a Freudian slip—substituting my name with Gita’s— while discussing my novel with others. And although GITA isn’t a memoir, it’s based on some of my experiences, so in the review below, the reader isn’t wrong in mentioning my name instead of the main character Gita’s. Thank you, dear reader, for this lovely review on the Barnes & Noble website.

GITA featured in Stanford Magazine, Spring 2025 issue!

A double honor as Gita is a Stanford freshman, and I’m a ‘95 Stanford grad!