The head of Brunswick County Schools has sided with a team of educators and parents in their decision to keep a controversial book on Cedar Grove Middle’s shelves.
Acknowledging his respect for the “faith-based conviction” that spurred Ash resident Frances Wood to challenge the merits of Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Pruden formally decided Wednesday that the book is of worth to adolescent students, despite some graphic depictions.
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Wood filed her original formal complaint in late June, claiming the 2007 young adult novel contains numerous instances of sexual behavior, racism, vulgar language, bullying and violence. Attached to her complaint was a petition signed by 42 members of her church, Soldier Bay Baptist.
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“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” tells the story of a poverty-stricken Native American boy and aspiring artist who struggles with his identity after leaving the reservation to attend an all-white school.
After individually reading the book, members of a Cedar Grove committee unanimously decided on July 15 that those instances were relevant to teens’ experiences and that Alexie’s message was ultimately a positive one.
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Pruden agreed.
“Those who defend the book as appropriate for teen readers respond that most of these troubling issues are already faced by today’s teens, and that rather than promoting undesirable behaviors, the book actually puts them in an extremely negative light, and in doing so, helps the teen reader to understand his or her own environment and provides coping skills and hope for dealing with these tough issues in their own lives,” he wrote in a letter to Wood.
Since its publication in 2007, Alexie’s book has received acclaim–including numerous national literary awards–but has also been at the center of controversy in school districts across the country. It has been banned in school systems in Missouri, Washington, Wyoming and Idaho for sexually explicit passages and graphic language. A group of parents in Chicago also tried, unsuccessfully, to have the book pulled out of classes in 2009.
He pointed to “Tom Sawyer” –a book Wood suggested as an alternative to “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” as a “parallel example.”
“Actually, ‘Tom Sawyer’ and its companion novel, ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’…are frequently challenged as offensive for their liberal inclusion of the n-word. Most readers understand that Twain was doing his best to condemn the moral evil of slavery even as he wrote in the vernacular of 19th century America. So it is with Alexie’s book,” Pruden said.
Pruden argued for the book’s ability to specifically reach and engage young male audiences.
“It is…worth noting that there are precious few school-appropriate books written by male authors that appeal to teenage boys,” he wrote. “Getting boys to read and enjoy a book is a tough sell for secondary teachers.”
But Wood has said there are no positive qualities to the book and said she would not recommend it to any age group.
Further, she previously criticized Cedar Grove’s principal Rhonda Benton, who also attends Soldier Bay Baptist, for not deciding, as “a believer and a member of the Christian church,” to remove the book from her school.
“I am a Baptist, and one common joke about Baptists is that you can never find two who believe exactly the same (religious) things,” Pruden wrote. “This book challenge process bears that out, as members of the same church and persons of faith in the larger community are divided on this matter.”
Weeks ahead of teaching Alexie’s novel, Cedar Grove sent home informational letters and permission forms, and parents were also offered alternate reading assignments for their children. Pruden said in the class of 26 students, 24 had written permission to read the book, and two were given an alternative assignment, as requested by their parents.
“No parental concerns have been received regarding the book. Brunswick County parents always have the last word regarding book selection for their children,” Pruden told Wood.
Wood has said she is not the parent or grandparent of a child at Cedar Grove.
“Whether their parents care or not, I care, and if I can save just one child from this filth, then it is worth it,” she wrote in an email to Benton on June 21, more than a month before her formal complaint. “The Lord does not want this in front of our children.”
In an email dated June 23, she told Benton she planned to take her challenge all the way to the school board, and she has also said she plans to go after all other middle schools in the county that either teach “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” or include it in their library collections.
According to district policy, formal book challenges must be addressed at the school level within 15 business days of a complaint filing. Complainants can appeal the school’s decision to the superintendent and, ultimately, to the Brunswick County Board of Education.
“If [Pruden] refuses, it will be given to the press that he didn’t remove it and then I will go to the board. It’s as simple as that,” Wood argued in her email.
The Brunswick County school district has released all documents related to the book challenge and the appeals process.
Click here to read Pruden’s decision letter in its entirety.
Hilary Snow is a reporter at Port City Daily. Reach her at (910) 772-6341 or [email protected].
