I just finished Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez, an unflinching story of love in the midst of East Texas Jim Crow horror. It's book #4 toward my 2022 #FReadom goal to read 20 books banned, challenged or threatened in Texas libraries or schools. ashleyperez.com/books/

Some challenges to this book have asked, "What do we teach by exposing young people to such scenes?" The answer in a word: empathy. Perez' writing lays bare raw emotions that teenagers may need to process 1st-, 2nd-, or 3rd-hand, from racial hate, family abuse, gender violence.