Pretty OK Maggie

This essay was written for the print only periodical, THE APPROACH, in Fall of 2025 and has been republished here with their permission. There’s a phrase book banners use a

Thank you ALAN and NCTE for recognizing Authors Against Book Bans for this award. On behalf of our national board, Samira Ahmed, Dhonielle Clayton, Gayle Forman, Alan Gratz, Joanna Ho,

I wrote this for a fundraiser for East Bay Booksellers that happened shortly after their store burned down in a fire. And while it’s very much about that store, it’s