Hi JOHN,

Today, we want to spotlight one of the most banned books in the country: Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult.

Published in 2007, Nineteen Minutes follows the events leading up to a school shooting and its aftermath on students, families, and the community. It’s a difficult, honest story about bullying, trauma, and the struggle to understand what drives violence in our schools.

But here’s the absurd part: it wasn’t banned because of its serious subject matter. It was banned because of one word on one page: “erection.”

That’s how far extremist groups have gone — seizing on a single, inconsequential word to justify censorship, while ignoring the real lessons and conversations our students deserve to have.

This is the performative nature of today’s book bans. They aren’t about protecting kids — they’re about control. And they distract from the real challenges our schools and students are facing.

We can’t let them keep deciding what our children get to read, think, or feel.

Add your name to stand with Educated We Stand and demand an end to extremist book bans.

Because one word should never erase an entire story.

— Educated We Stand

Paid for by Educated. We Stand.