Move to ban books

original


A bid to remove nine books from the required-reading list of the second-
largest high school district in Illinois has triggered debate over
whether works praised in literary circles are high art or smut.

The issue arose this month when Township High School District 214 board
member Leslie Pinney flagged books that she said contain vulgar language,
brutal imagery or depictions of sexual situations inappropriate for
students.

The board is scheduled to vote Thursday night on whether to keep the
books as part of the curriculum.

"If the media are bombarding our children with explicit sexual images and
graphic violence and prolific profanity, can't a school relent from
that?" Pinney said. "Is there a different level of standards? That's my
question."

The titles on Pinney's list are "Beloved" by Toni Morrison,
"Slaughterhouse-Five" by Kurt Vonnegut, "The Things They Carried" by Tim
O'Brien, "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, "Freakonomics" by Steven D.
Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, "The Botany of Desire: A Plant's-Eye View
of the World" by Michael Pollan, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by
Stephen Chbosky, "Fallen Angels" by Walter Dean Myers and "How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez.

It is the first time in more than 20 years that a reading list has been
challenged in the Arlington Heights-based district, said Chuck Venegoni,
who heads the English and fine arts departments at Hersey High School.
The district uses an extensive review process based on established
national reading lists, and the suggestion that teachers are using
materials on par with porn is insulting, he said.

"This is not some serendipitous decision to allow someone to do what they
felt like doing because they had something about talking about something
kinky in front of kids," Venegoni said. "It's insulting to hardworking
people who really do care about kids."

Pinney, the mother of a District 214 graduate, admits she has not read
all the books. She is not seeking to ban them from district libraries,
but in class she would like to replace them with books that address the
same themes without explicit material.

Among her objections are a bestiality scene in "Beloved," graphic
violence in "The Things They Carried" and masturbation references in
"Wallflower."

Venegoni said he has received dozens of e-mails of support from parents
but also has had to explain that pornography is not part of the lesson
plan.

"For however edgy a few passages taken out of context, there is nothing
in any of those books that even remotely approaches what an objective
person would call pornography," he said.

Several conservative groups have rallied to Pinney's cause, saying that
the books promote porn, which has prompted community members on both
sides to flood board members and teachers with e-mail.

In 2005 the American Library Association received more than 400 requests
to pull books from the shelves of school and public libraries, a
spokeswoman said.

The call to ban books is timeless, but it is important to continue
supporting literature that makes readers think, said Mary Dempsey,
commissioner of the Chicago Public Library.

Mayor Richard Daley selected "The Things They Carried" in 2003 for the
One Book, One Chicago city reading series. The book, about the Vietnam
War, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1990. The themes--love,
hate, war, kindness and cruelty--along with the author's ability to
convey the harshness of war outweighed concerns, Dempsey said.

"I cannot imagine that language in that book is not said on a battlefield
and, candidly, is not said in the corridors of most high schools in the
suburbs of Chicago today," she said. "Good literature is supposed to get
people to think. And sometimes, good literature takes you out of your
comfort zone."

District 214 officials rely on the expertise of teachers and other
members of textbook selection committees to scrutinize reading lists used
nationwide, said board President William Dussling. The books are geared
for juniors and seniors in honors or Advanced Placement courses to
prepare them for college, he said. Parents can have their students opt
out if they find reading material objectionable, he said.

"There will be accommodations made of something else to read that will
still meet the learning points in the class," Dussling said. "It's not a
matter of this is it."

The district's six schools have nearly 13,000 students in Arlington
Heights, Buffalo Grove, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Mt. Prospect,
Prospect Heights, Rolling Meadows and Wheeling.

Pinney said the system needs to be modified so parents are better
informed.

"The opt-out clause is flawed because unless you're digging around the
student's backpack, looking at the books and reading them, how exactly
will you know what your student is reading?" Pinney said.

Terri Brightwell, whose son is a senior at Rolling Meadows High School,
agreed.

"Their standards may not be my standards," she said. "It should be open
to a process where parents are involved."

On the other side, Sharon Neff said she trusts the judgment of educators
compiling the lists and believes they are introducing subjects to her
daughter, Valerie, that will prepare her for life beyond Hersey.

"That's not a watered, diluted version of reality. Without it, the
literature isn't as effective," she said. "[Pinney] needs to read the
books."

jfrancisco@tribune.com