Controversial book stays at Antioch High School

A novel sprinkled with racist language and descriptions of masturbation will remain required summer reading for incoming freshmen at Antioch Community High School, district officials announced Monday.

Parents will receive letters about the decision this week. Those who still object to the book, "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian," will be offered a chance to request an alternate reading assignment, Antioch-Lake Villa High School District 117 officials said.

Superintendent Jay Sabatino and five board members read the book in question over the weekend. Sabatino said he concluded the 200-plus-page book isn't morally objectionable, and that's why it'll stay as required reading for the incoming freshmen. The controversial language is a small part of the book, he added.

"We're not trying to force anything down anyone's throats," Sabatino said. "We're just trying to promote reading."

Selected by a committee of English teachers and approved by the department chairman, the 2007 novel by Sherman Alexie is about a 14-year-old boy growing up on an Indian reservation. The boy, Arnold Spirit, wants to get a good education and eventually leave the reservation.

Some District 117 parents contend the book is inappropriate and should be pulled. They cited parts of the novel that contain descriptions of masturbation, racist language, graphic depictions of sex and references to bestiality.

Jennifer Andersen, 40, said she found Alexie's use of vulgarity was more for shock value and didn't add to the story. She said she'll take up the high school on its offer for another reading assignment for her son.

Sabatino said he didn't think the book had anything that is "really, really off the wall." He said he's heard the book gained in popularity among District 117 students after concerns about its contents were raised last week.

District 117 may issue a warning to parents in the future if a book assigned to students is believed to have controversial elements, Sabatino said.

Andersen said that's what she ultimately wanted from the district.

"I think it's a great idea," she said. "I'm not a book-burner."

Alexie's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" has earned a National Book Award and acclaim from Publishers Weekly. It also has stirred controversy beyond Antioch.

In the Crook County School District in Prineville, Ore., parent Hank Moss raised concerns at a public meeting last December about the book being a required reading assignment in a high school English class. School officials decided not to use the book after hearing the concerns.

Moss told Crook County board members that students could have been assigned a book that wasn't as "trashy" as "Part-Time Indian," according to official meeting minutes.

At a meeting in January, a letter from the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon was read into the record urging officials to not remove "Part-Time Indian" from the high school. Several audience comments about the book - pro and con - were received.

Crook County board members agreed to continue suspending the book as required reading until a newly formed committee, charged with reviewing policies related to various student materials, could issue a recommendation.

<div class="infoBox"> <h1>More Coverage</h1> <div class="infoBoxContent"> <div class="infoArea"> <h2>Stories</h2> <ul class="links"> <li><a href="/story/?id=301477">Book stirring controversy at Antioch High School <span class="date">[06/19/09]</span></a></li> </ul> <h2>Related links</h2> <ul class="moreWeb"> <li><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Absolutely-Part-Time-Indian-Alexie-Sherman/dp/0316013684#reader">Excerpts from the book</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div>