Father condemns East Penn's 'filthy' reading list

The Morning Call ^ | 15 August 2007 | Randy Kraft

[napscoordinator]

An angry parent has blasted the East Penn School District for requiring its students to read books he said are "full of filthy vulgarity."

Richard Jones of Upper Milford confronted the school board Monday about some of the books on his 15-year-old son's 10th-grade summer reading list at Emmaus High School, saying they're trash.

Following its standard practice, the board limited Jones to three minutes and didn't respond to his criticism during the meeting. But later, board President Ann Thompson said, "We listened carefully and it is being investigated carefully."

[Oberon]

My roots are in the wild NorthWest, Donegal. I’m pretty damn Viking myself.

Yeah, this would be right up your alley.

[wtc911]

Looking forward to it...keep writing...

[Charles Martel]

Dickens is awful. Worse than water boarding.

Some of his works are good, some not so much. I'll concede, though, that I found Hard Times to be an effective means of torture.

[Jim Noble]

I’m not in the business of advocating the banning of books

Do you believe that a school, in exercising selectivity in student assigned reading, and in choosing the good over the bad, is "banning books"?

[Huck]

If you're gonna troll

Is that a pun or something? Do they have trolls in Tolkein stories, or just elves and hobbits? Whatever. I'm not trolling. I just don't think To Kill A Mockingbird should be forced on school kids. Who needs it? Boring "classics." Fantasy stuff is just a waste. You get stuck up a tree, surrounded by bad guys? No matter. Some giant butterflies will come save you in the knick of time. Well gee, if the author can summon magical insects whenever he needs him, what's the point of caring?

[Oberon]

I suppose it's possible that you don't see the value of literature. That's fine; some people don't.

But believe me, literature has value even if it's worthless to you personally. If you don't mind, just leave it to folks who like it and go do something useful, like build a house or design a bridge or manage a factory or do something gratifyingly concrete and hands-on. To each his own.

[Shazolene]

“My Antonia” is a wonderful book, written I guess about 1920 or so, about a pioneer Midwestern family. Willa Cather is the author; if she was a lesbian, it is not apparent from the book. The problem is not with the book, it’s that nowadays kids are REQUIRED to know about the author’s sexual proclivities as well. Who the EFF cares?? What I want to know is - does she write well? Is it a good story? and in this case the answer is yes.

[Shazolene]

If you like non-crusading Dickens, try Anthony Trollope. He has a beautiful grasp of character delineation and development. A total glimpse into REAL Victorian society.

[mathluv]

My grandsons do not agree that it is a good book. Some people just do not like what others consider to be good literature. For example, I could not stand Thomas Hardy's 'Return of the native' when I had to read it in college.

I'll take math, science, and history any day who so-called 'good literature'.

[narses]

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[rbosque]

Too bad few schools offer a classical education. I guess this liberal world hates western civ.

[Antoninus]

Beowolf? Totally worthless.

Sure. If you want to be totally ignorant of where Western literature came from and have no interest in our cultural patrimony. In that case, by all means, read Electric Kool Aid Acid Test.

[Antoninus]

But it's worthless as literature, particularly for 21st century teens. Totally pointless, and will only serve to turn them off to reading, literature, English class, and school.

Maybe the ones who aren't cut out to be good readers. Most of the homeschooled kids I know have read Beowulf in translation by age 10 or so. And they are serious readers.

[Antoninus]

That's a good question.

This is what I want high schoolers to be reading....



"This is a book that belongs on the bookshelf of every Catholic man, should be read by every Catholic boy (11 or older, I would say)" -Latin Mass Magazine

But they won't--because it mentions the "g" word.

[Antoninus]

You have a degree in English Lit and never read or heard of Willa Cather or My Antonia? I am truly dismayed. Demand a tuition refund.

We read that book in a core-level college course. It made absolutely no impression on me. Shane was much better.

[Antoninus]

Tolkein’s books are a waste of time.

Well, if you're going to trash Beowulf, you may as well be consistent and trash Tolkein as well. He's only perhaps the greatest English-language novelist of the 20th century.

[oakcon]

I hope to God you’re joking.

[antidisestablishment]

Ender's game is great, but it's downhill for Card from there. The rest of the series gets progressively more apologetic and contains little of interest for younger readers.

Have you looked at the G. A. Henty books? They are well written historical fiction that were and are perfect for young boys.

[Titan Magroyne]

If you want to read a version of Beowulf that captures some of the original poetry, try my favorite, the translation by Seamus Heany.
Thanks, tucking that away on "the list." I love poetry classics when I can find a good edition.

[napscoordinator]

bump