Summary
While on a school field trip, ten year old "Alice" gets abducted by a man named Ray. She is now fifteen and has been held captive by him for the past five years. Alice is not her real name, but it is the name Ray has chosen for her. She suffers starvation on a daily basis because Ray wants her to keep her childlike figure. Alice is raped by Ray almost everyday and is often beaten if she fails to do exactly what Ray wants. Ray eventually decides he wants a new girl and he wants Alice to help him find her. She willingly agrees because she knows it's the only way she can finally be free from Ray, even if he kills her.
Who has censored "Living Dead Girl" and why?
Effingham Helen Matthes Library challenged but retained the book in 2009 because of graphic content.
Stratford High School in Texas also challenged the book because of "pedophilia" but it was retained.
Examples of Graphic Content
"Ray makes me shower once a week, and I hate coming out of the bathroom. I hate knowing he's waiting for me, that he will rub his hands and himself all over me and whisper things. His hands used to make me cry, but now I'm used to them."
"He shoves me to the floor
and pulls off my pants.
I stare at the ceiling while
he sweats and thrusts, air
aching down my throat and
into my lungs until he grabs my hair..."
"Ray has finished his chicken and cleaned his hands and pressed my face down into his lap again, then changed his mind and moved me around, folding me into what he wanted, my head pushing into the door as he pushes into me.....Tears on my face, I cannot help it, and he licks them off one by one, sucking every last thing he can from me."
Who has defended "Living Dead Girl" and why?
ACLU because they are dedicated to protecting freedom of speech and expression.
Many people who have read this book think that it should not be banned even though it contains graphic content. These kind of things happen in real life, so even though it's not a fairy tale, people should read it because it opens their eyes to the terrible things like this that happen everyday.
Why does Elizabeth Scott, the author, write about controversial topics?
"I write about them because they are part of life. I write about them because pretending sex/drugs/cursing/etc. doesn’t exist – or worse, claiming that it’s 'bad' – won’t do anything."
Living Dead Girl
By: Darin, Briana, and Liz