The Pigman

Published in 1968, Paul Zindel’s The Pigman established the young adult genre in fiction novels and became a classic book that is still read by teenagers in classrooms today. Written from the dual perspective of two high school students, Zindel takes the reader inside the mind of a teenager’s thoughts, fears, and impressions of others and examines what it means to be kind and empathetic.

The novel was awarded the New York Times Outstanding Book of the Year in 1968, named an ALA Notable Children’s Book, and added to the Horn Book Fanfare Honor List in 1969. Though the novel made its way onto the reading list in many schools, it has become one of the most banned books of all time, ranking 44 on the ALA’s list of most challenged books from 1990-2000 when some parents found the author’s inclusion of teenage drinking, cursing, and disrespect of adults as offensive and deemed it inappropriate for young readers. Zindel published the sequel in 1980, titled The Pigman’s Legacy, and in 1990 he published his autobiography The Pigman & Me. Zindel wrote a screenplay for the novel, which was used for a 2001 film adaptation directed by Owen Emerson.