As many of you know I have been all about reading historical fictions this summer. Along with these readings I have also been working on the reading that I assigned to my class as their summer assignment. It is an informational text, A World Lit Only By Fire by William Manchester. Now I committed a major mistake by assigning it without having read it first and not getting it Board approved. However, it was recommended on a summer reading list on the official AP website, and the previous AP Euro teacher had mentioned hearing of its quality, though she hadn't read it either. I figured it was safe. Well until today it had just provided great detail into all aspects of medieval life, exactly what I had hoped for. Unfortunately today I realized how thoroughly it covered ALL aspects of medieval life. I reached the sex section, and oh what a section it is. For the most part it was still just informative and only slightly questionable, but I felt it was still important in understanding life during this time. It discussed views on pre-marital sex, the prevalence of adultery, courtesans, etc... Then came the part about the sexual depravity of the cardinals and some of the popes. Still I think most of it is not too bad, except this one sentence describing "Roman lore" regarding Cardinal Borgia. It said he decided to move from mother to daughter without skipping a beat... And I mean that literally. I am not going to post it as is written in the book, but it's explicit.
Needless to say, I freaked out! I called my administrator to inform her of the situations, as she may already be fielding calls. Lucky she hasn't yet. We decided though, that rather than send letters now informing the parents and therefore drawing greater attention to the section, we will just wait it out. AHHHHH! Anyhoo, this is the predicament I find myself in. Live and learn I suppose, but man, you can never be too careful.
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14 comments:
Why won't you post it? I'm curious.
That would be nerve racking to wait for that, but it does sound like a good plan. I bet you kids won't even tell their parents about it...I know I wouldn't have. I'd be too embarrassed.
Yeah. Although I know that I will be okay, I am so frustrated that THIS book went there. I had wanted to suggest some historical fictions for extra credit but didn't for this exact reason, yet here I still am. I'll tell you tonight Adam, I just don't want it on here.
hope you don't catch grief over this.
Meh, what kids read textbooks anywho? The only ones that read 'em are the smart ones and they don't care. I only see a problem if one of the smart kids shows the passage to one of the dumb kids. Then it's all over.
The real problem is parents who want to ban books they've never read, like that one lady who wants to have Harry Potter removed from her child's school library. I cry foul. You have to read the book first, jackass.
so, is it alright to ban the book after you've read it and found it objectionable?
I don't have a problem if people want to make lists of books that aren't appropriate for certain ages. I don't know that I can see any reason why an elementary student ought be reading something like say, Lolita.
Banning them altogether or perhaps piling them up and setting fire to them, no.
But yes, it's obviously dangerous, as has been proven in this case with Kendall's book, to recommend or ban a book based on hearsay or reviews or someone else's opinions.
Well my biggest concern is drawing even greater attention to this section. There is a lot of value to the rest of the book, but I don't know if the price is too high for the quality that surrounds the smut. Is the trade-off worth it?
Interesting to note, I talked to the previous Euro teacher today for the first time since the section was found. She felt partly responsible because she too had reccomended this book, not having read it. However it has received so much acclaim amongst AP Euro teachers it was assumed to be appropriate.
Am I overreacting? I know that I should have asked for Board approval, but am I not giving the kids enough credit, or is this passage truly worthy of denying the value of the entire book?
I personally see nothing wrong with the passage and wouldn't really even call it smut. Maybe gratuitous, but history is gruesome.
I don't see parents calling in telling you to leave out of the violent parts. "Hey, that Inquisition was gory and people died and stuff, don't tell my kids about that." But no, it's, "Hey, people have sex and stuff, stop telling my kids about it."
It's AP Euro, what are these, juniors and seniors? What the hell kind of parents can't explain something like the passage you're worried about to their 17 and 18 year old kids? Like these kids aren't already looking at porn or even engaging in sex.
It pisses me off that you have to be the mommy and daddy, Kendall. It's ridiculous. Public education has put you in a poor spot and I feel bad for you.
Thanks Adam. This class is intended for seniors because of its content, however because our seniors are required to take Govt/Econ, this class is offered to sophomores, making the audience a little less mature.
I would agree that the passage was more gratuitous than smutty as well, I just couldn't think of a better word. Nonetheless, it does reach a level that I feel parents would like to have some say in whether their children read it or not... but then back to the question of "will I make it worse by pointing it out?"
Also I totally agree with the violence being seen as commonplace/acceptable whereas talking about sex is such a faux pas in this country.
its funny you are talking about books and their appropriateness (what a speller i am).
when i went to the bookstore the other day to get birthday gifts for my favorite cousin, nate (who is turning 12 or 13 (i know, i should know how old he is, but whatever)), there was a table set up for 'summer reading' or something like that, so i was looking at these books. well, first i picked up 1984, a book that i liked very well when i read it (i was maybe 13 or so) and it is along the same lines as a book he just finished called the giver (my all-time favorite book, i could go on for hours, as could my dad and sisters) about a society that is very controlled, and socalist (i guess), but written on a 5th or 6th grade level (and he liked it, and understood some of the major points of the book, which impresses me on any level). i figured nate would enjoy 1984, he is a good reader, and at the very least its one of those books that everyone should read at some point in their lives. anyhoo, i also grabbed farenheit 451, another good one, and decided to look for a book i had told nate about, gathering blue, in the childrens section. this is when i saw a copy of the catcher in the rye. i remembered getting my moms copy when i was 14, and really enjoying myself, and reading it a few years later thinking 'how did my mom let me read this?' so, then i thought, 'maybe nate would like it' and put it in the pile for his birthday. i kept thinking though, about these books, 1984 for its depth, and the catcher in the rye for its language, and decided to call my aunt to let her at least know that i bought some 'questionable' (i dont think thats the right word, but i cant think of the right one) reading material for her son. she just laughed, and i said they are all books he needs, but that she could decide when to let him read them.
so, i guess this is a tangent, and it sucks, kendall, that you have to worry about book content, but even though some might say that i read inappropriate books at my age of 14 (there really is a lot of swearing and some sex in that little book), i am glad that i did. actually, i am glad that i was allowed, and even encouraged, to read such a book. by the time i was in high-school it had been banned as suggested reading, and i might have missed it. so, maybe one or two of the students will decide that they too are glad they read it, not becaues it was smutty, but because it was a good book, and one that taught them something.
I found myself in the same situation with books in my class regarding the civil war era. The areas of these books that I was worried about were regarding racial slurs, though obviously normal for the time period.
I know that doesn't sound like quite the same thing, but remember they are only 9-10, so for them it was a bigger deal.
I never told a child they couldn't read these chapter books, but I tried to take note if one brought it home to read so that I could inform the parent to keep a heads up, and discuss with their child if needed.
I was really thinking some of these over-protecting parents might react, though I was pleasantly surprised with their willingness to expose their child to the truths of the time period. I hope that these parents are the same way. You may be surprised.
And I totally agree with you about not wanting to draw attention to the matter. Your administration may not get even one phone call.
Thanks everyone. I appreciate the input. I am feeling a lot better, not that anything has been resolved, but I know that it will work out.
Lolita is an incredible book.
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