Author Sandra Cisneros talks about book censors

Author Sandra Cisneros visited UTRGV Tuesday to speak about current political censorship in literature across the United States and how she hopes to fight against it. 

The event was hosted by Puentes: Cultural Wealth Student Success program, the Mexican American Studies and Creative Writing  in the UTRGV engineering building in Edinburg and included a reception and a book signing by Cisneros.

Cisneros has written books, such as “The House on Mango Street,” which has sold over seven million copies and has been translated in over 25 languages.

The author spoke about what it means to be a writer in today’s society with activities such as book bans happening all over the country and censorship against minorities of all kinds.

Book bannings is a topic Cisneros has strongly advocated against. She said she believes in people reading a book and questioning its message, rather than letting politicians make those decisions for them. 

“I follow my heart and I tell the truth and I don’t think politicians follow their hearts or tell the truth,” Cisneros said. “So I think I have an obligation to speak and tell my truth and embolden others to do the same, especially right now.” 

Constitutional Bills, such as HB 900, which was implemented in September 2023, require high schools to take any books that are “sexually explicit” off their shelves.

 According to the Texas State Teachers Association, it is a common occurrence that most books taken off  shelves are books that explore race, gender and mentions of the LGBTQ+ community.

Cisneros said she has not lost hope in overturning Constitutional Bills like HB 900.

UTRGV students who attended the event were able to ask questions and gain insight from the author.

 Julieta Hernandez, an English junior, said she felt the event was an important learning opportunity for students who are interested in the arts, poetry and literature. Hernandez said she liked the relatability of Cisneros’ book “The House on Mango Street.”   

“I liked that it was very realistic and it was relatable, like, it wasn’t some really huge fantastical story,” Hernandez said. “It was just based in humanity and human experiences.”

Cisneros said she sees book banning as a sign of moving backward in history. 

“We’re being censored, books are being removed, people are afraid,” she said. “Librarians are losing their jobs. So it’s like we’re in … 1933 Germany … when they were burning the books.” 

Emmy Pérez, a UTRGV professor and department chair of the creative writing department, said she hopes students take away from this event that literature is important and uplifting. 

“I hope that [students] read Cisneros’ beautiful writing and remember how literary art can impact us on an individual, communal and global level.” 

Pérez added there is real power in the written and spoken word.

 “I love that the young people are standing up and organizing and protesting,” Cisneros said. “Just one human being is all it takes to make change.”