Identical by Ellen Hopkins

At a meeting of the Board of Trustees for the Waterloo Region District School Board on March 20, 2023, a delegate spoke on the subject of library materials, and specifically challenged the board on its selection of resources with reference to “age appropriateness” and ease of access. In an attempt to prove their point, the delegate proceeded to read—without warning or context—a graphic passage from a young adult novel that was available in several of the board’s secondary school libraries.

That passage was from the book Identical by Ellen Hopkins.

Using a combination of free verse, poetry, and prose, and told through the alternating perspectives of teenage identical twins Kaeleigh and Raeanne, Identical details a family’s struggle to cope following a horrific car crash. Kaeleigh is a high-achieving student who is suffering from anorexia, self-harm, and sexual abuse from her father, while Raeanne is a drug addict who is involved in a toxic relationship with a man who is physically and emotionally abusive. The book is frank and explicit in its depiction of sexual abuse, drug addiction, family dysfunction, suicide, and mental illness: it is a distressing, difficult, and emotional read. As such, because of its realism and content, the book has been subject to the inclusion of warning labels on its book cover and has been banned in several education jurisdictions in North America.

But the purpose of the public school system is to ensure equity of access and a high quality of education to all. Moreover, public libraries exist to give everyone access to information and to reading, regardless of any barriers that may exist. It is important to recognize the value of literature that explores difficult themes and that such books be made available. Identical is not a how-to guide for drug use, self-harm, or sexual abuse, nor does it attempt to romanticize, glorify, or shock the reader with its content; rather, it serves as a warning to the reader about the dangers of untreated pain and the importance of seeking help and support. Additionally, for those readers who have dealt with similar circumstances to those outlined in the novel, it may allow them to work through their own lived experiences and encourage them to share with people around them.

Since the delegation, the Waterloo Region District Board has released information to the public outlining its selection of library materials, which clearly follows and adheres to Ministry of Education and human rights guidelines. Censoring books that are deemed controversial by some should never be a default position, as we may risk depriving students of a chance to engage with these topics in a safe and supportive environment and to learn from the experiences of characters. Identical is an important read for anyone who is interested in exploring the complexities of trauma, abuse, and family dynamics, and shows the importance of literature as a tool for empathy and understanding.