Jack Reacher author Lee Child brands book bans 'vile' and calls to resist censorship

Jack Reacher author Lee Child brands book bans 'vile' and calls to resist censorship Jack Reacher author Lee Child has condemned book bans in schools and libraries across the UK and US as 'vile', warning that censorship must be resisted 'with every fibre of our being' Jack Reacher creator Lee Child has called on people to "ridicule, denounce and oppose" the censorship of books. The British author, 71, has spoken out against the wave of book bans sweeping through schools and libraries across both the United States and the United Kingdom. In recent years, Lee, whose real name is James Dover Grant, has discovered that several of his own titles have fallen foul of censorship laws in various US states. "It is a vile, vile thing. It's an expression of toxicity. People don't care what's in the book – they just want to attack someone. It is something we need to resist with every fibre of our being if we can," he said at an event held on June 8 in partnership with The Royal Society of the Arts and The Reading Agency. "Books and ideas – there should be a completely free market. Every idea should be available for examination and consumption." The bestselling author went on to describe book banning in the UK as "grotesque", pointing out that novels have never historically faced such restrictions in this country. He added: "One of my greatest fears, and it is a thing that is observable I think, is that what happens in America happens here 10 years later. We are headed in that direction, and it has got to be resisted. "Censorship is the worst possible thing, and we should do everything in our power to ridicule and denounce and oppose that in every way we can." Speaking to the Press Association following the event, Child revealed he had been informed that several of his books had been banned from libraries in US states including Florida and Missouri. "I get a report saying how many of my books are banned where and I never get a reason but try and figure it out what somebody could be objecting to, and sometimes it's really hard to tell," he explained. "There are some blatant things in my books like innocent victims in one who happen to be immigrants, but they are working hard. Their truck gets wrecked and they are without an income, so Reacher helps them out. I guess people hate that for some reason. "There was one book where Reacher, who is white, had a love interest who is black and there was a lot of push back at that too." He then declared: "I think it's a terrible thing and if Reacher was real, he would sort it out, but I am going to try and sort it out on his behalf." Child has penned 31 novels featuring Jack Reacher across the series. The debut instalment, Killing Floor, hit shelves in 1997. In the years since, the franchise has shifted more than 100 million copies around the globe. Child has recently been appointed the UK's first Prison Reading Laureate, partnering with The Reading Agency's prison reading initiative, which will see 480,000 Quick Read books distributed throughout UK prisons. Speaking about his backing for this scheme, he said: "Every week hundreds of people are released from prison and many of them get on with their lives, but some go back. So how do we stop that?" Rather than pumping more money into law enforcement, Child argued reading was "hugely fundamental" because it's essential for navigating life. "We thought if we promoted literacy in prisons then maybe one out of 10 of those people won't go back – and that would be a success," he said. "So much work has been done, but I thought I could try and help facilitate things." Child revealed he had already received anecdotal reports that periods during which prisoners had been reading was creating a "much better, stress free and relaxed environment" behind bars. Founded in 2006, Quick Reads publishes short books by both bestselling and up-and-coming authors, specifically tailored for adults who find reading difficult or who have trouble maintaining concentration. Over the last two decades, the programme has released 147 titles, sold or gifted more than 5.6 million copies, and clocked up nearly 6.4 million library loans. Love reading? Join Dr. Aimée Walsh and our community of fellow readers in the Mirror Book Club to dive deeper into the books everyone is talking about.