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Marysann
Guest
I understand your being disturbed about the books that your daughter’s class is being assigned. I have another take on this. It appears that this teacher has an agenda in assigned books of this nature to ninth graders. If I were you I would look at the state or local syllabus for the class. What are they suppose to be reading? Are they learning about the genre of the novel? Are they suppose to be studying world literature, American lit, British lit or what? Are these books considered literature? If so, by whom? You could contact an English professor at a local college or even the librarian at your local public library, and ask if these books would be considered “literature.” School is the time to study the great works of culture, Western and others. Kids can read trash on their own. If a student doesn’t leave high school knowing the great works of American literature, for example, can they be considered educated. Do they study “The Red Badge of Courage,” or “Huckleberry Finn”? My husband is a retired foreign service officer, and even though I am a college graduate, I felt at a disadvantage because I could not discuss American literature with foreigners. I hadn’t read any since high school, and that wasn’t enough. When I was in my forties I took a course in American literature at our local state university. I wanted to be able to present myself as an educated person. Will the books that your daughter’s class being asked to read help them to do this. It is something to think about.