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Turf tangle over Peabody students' summer reading list

By Stacie N. Galang
Staff writer
Published: May 5, 2008

PEABODY — The school summer reading list is turning more heads than pages.

That's because School Committee member Beverley Dunne wants to take a novel approach to choosing summertime selections. If a book can't be read out loud at their committee's meetings, it doesn't belong on the list, she proposed Tuesday night.

Dunne received complaints about Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner," assigned to incoming juniors two summers ago, and Mark Haddon's "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time" picked for incoming freshmen last year.

She said that the language in some books, especially Haddon's, couldn't be broadcast at the meeting and therefore shouldn't be imposed on students.

"You're forcing them to read this book that, I'll be honest, if my children had brought it home from the library on their own, I would have considered it trash," Dunne said.

Fellow committee member Edward Charest said at the meeting that "The Kite Runner" had some "pretty graphic stuff." He thought summer reading should be fun.

But Michalene Hague, chairwoman of Peabody High's English department, balked at the idea of having others vet the reading list.

"They might as well throw out the whole curriculum because there is something in every piece of writing that someone can object to," Hague said.

She wondered whether classic works like "Oedipus Rex" or "Romeo and Juliet" would meet the new standard. She said committee members need to trust teachers to choose books that both interest students and display quality writing.

"This ugly head of censorship and lack of trust in teachers to provide options of diversity and quality writing is a specter that haunts English departments across the nation," she said.

Feedback

Dunne said upward of 100 parents weighed in on Haddon's book. Parents of freshmen didn't want their children using vulgarities, yet the book was rife with them.

"There's thousands of books out there," she said. "Just because The New York Times says it's good, it doesn't mean it's good."

The language became overwhelming for some readers, said Dunne, who read the book.

"The Kite Runner" elicited fewer complaints, between 15 and 20. Parents said their children were troubled by a scene that involved a sexual assault.

"Many of the students were really upset by it, and their parents called me," she said.

Dunne didn't appreciate students being forced to read books with no alternative. Some parents don't permit their children to watch cable TV or expose them to the books' subject matter.

Hague said she has to trust the judgment of the teachers who select their summer titles.

Students get an overview of the summer reading material before they leave on vacation. And it's not easy to find quality books that move students forward and fit the bill as a summer read, Hague said.

Aside from usual complaints that "The Kite Runner" was too long, students enjoyed it, Hague said.

She also received complaints about Haddon's book. She said teachers will offer an alternative in the future.

"Sometimes people don't want students to feel uncomfortable; everything is nice and happy," she said.

But for real thought to happen, students need to be provoked and moved outside of their comfort zones.

"Otherwise, why do any contemporary literature at all?" she added.

Summer picks

It's no simple task to compile the summer reading list. High school teachers start the process once students return in the fall. They pore over student assessments of summer books to determine which to keep and which to abandon.

"It's a whole yearlong process," Hague said.

English teachers consider factors such as length, application to the curriculum, student receptiveness and the students themselves. They consult librarians and lists from teachers associations, Hague said.

Teachers read through the possible choices to whittle their summer list down to its final version. They try to include both modern and classic material.

In the case of "The Kite Runner," the book touched on themes of friendship, atonement and war, Hague said. The backdrop of war recurs in other texts like "The Red Badge of Courage," which juniors will read later in the school year.

"So the book has all of these major human themes," Hague said.

Young adults librarian Melissa Rauseo said she helps middle-school teachers compile the book lists for sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders. She estimated it took her 30 hours to put together the list for middle school teachers, who then take her suggestions to make their own list.

She too had heard about a half dozen parents express concern about some of the high school books, including "The Kite Runner."

"I think it's important to take any work of art, especially literature, as a whole," she said.

But teens seemed to enjoy it, Rauseo said.

"That's fairly unique for a summer reader," she added.

Debate's good

Hague welcomed the feedback from parents, but she wanted them to be reassured that teachers deliberate long and hard over the lists. She didn't want high-schoolers stifled because of the discomfort of a few.

She hoped parents would take scenes from books in context of the entire story.

"I'm glad it's a debate," Hague said. "It means we're still in a free country."

Dunne praised Hague, who had also been her high school English teacher. She didn't want her standard to have a chilling effect on how teachers choose their titles.

Nevertheless, she wanted input.

"(I just want) to let them know, in this community, people do appreciate fine language and do appreciate good literature," Dunne said. "But they also need to be respectful of the ages of the kids."

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