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From Staff Reports
A controversial book, temporarily pulled from Buncombe County classrooms after a complaint from a parent, will now be allowed back.
“The Kite Runner,” a 2003 novel by Khaled Hosseini,was to be used in an honors English class at A.C. Reynolds High School in place of “All Quiet on the Western Front.” The teacher of the class sent home a note informing parents that students could opt out of the assignment if they objected to the content.
Lisa Baldwin, parent and former Buncombe School Board member, filed a formal complaint against the use of “The Kite Runner,” aruging that the book is a “dark and disturbing adult fiction novel set in war-torn Afghanistan and has been frequently challenged by concerned parents for its sexually explicit content,” according to her guest column in the May 17 edition of the Asheville Citizen-Times.
“The Kite Runner” tells the story of a wealthy boy in Afghanistan and his best friend, the son of his father’s servant. In one passage, the servant’s son is beaten and raped by an older boy.
Baldwin is charging that the honors English teacher’s “opt-out” form was insufficient as it did not “fully disclose the adult themes nor did it ask parents to sign an ‘opt-in’ form/permission slip.”
Furthermore, “The teacher did not explain in her letter that there was a homosexual rape scene, that there was cruelty, violence, profanity demeaning to women in the book,” she noted.
“It is well-known that ‘opt-out’ forms remains in students’ backpacks or never make it home,” Baldwin stated in her guest column.
Additionally, Baldwin noted that she “suggested that the class continue to read the classic, ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ comparing and contrasting the World War I soldiers’ experience with that of modern warriors in Afghanistan/Iraq, using appropriate excerpts from ‘The Kite Runner’ and other books.”
She said that the principal rejected the compromise.
However, after reviewing the text, the A.C. Reynolds’ Media/Technology Advisory Committee determined that the material in “The Kite Runner” was, in fact, appropriate for 10th-grade students.
As the Daily Planet went to press early May 27, Baldwin had yet to decide whether or not she is happy with the school-based committee’s decision. If she is not, she may appeal, taking the issue to the school board, on which she — until recently — served.In reaction to the controversy, some Reynolds High students have voluntarily created a book club which enables them to read and discuss “The Kite Runner.”
Book club member Skye Satz puts it simply: “If they expect you to choose your future, you should be able to choose your own books,” she told local news media.
Griffith Porter, who was in the class preparing to analyze the book this semester, was disappointed when he learned his class would no longer read the book.
“I think the level of maturity is definitely there to be able to discuss this kind of content and I think it would have been extremely beneficial to be able to discuss it with a teacher,” he told local news media.
Izabella Forero, another student in the honors English class, pointed out that not only are students exposed to adult themes in classic literature (such as “All Quiet on the Western Front”), but also that students not much older than the 10th-graders at Reynolds can fight in Afghanistan: “In two years, we’re adults and we can make the decision to go risk our lives to fight there (Afghanistan). We need to know what the culture is there.”
‘Kite Runner’ ranks 7th on list of 10 most-challenged books in U.S.
The American Library Association's Office for Intellectual Freedom receives reports from libraries, schools, and the media on attempts to ban books in communities across the country.
The ALA said it compiles lists of challenged books in order to inform the public about censorship efforts that affect libraries and schools.
Following are the top 10 most frequently challenged books of 2014:
1. “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: anti-family, cultural insensitivity, drugs/alcohol/smoking, gambling, offensive language, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group, violence. Additional reasons: “depictions of bullying”
2. “Persepolis,” by Marjane Satrapi
Reasons: gambling, offensive language, political viewpoint. Additional reasons: “politically, racially, and socially offensive,” “graphic depictions”
3. “And Tango Makes Three,” by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Reasons: anti-family, homosexuality, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “promotes the homosexual agenda”
4. “The Bluest Eye,” by Toni Morrison
Reasons: sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “contains controversial issues”
5. “It’s Perfectly Normal,” by Robie Harris
Reasons: nudity, sex education, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group. Additional reasons: “alleges it child pornography”
6. “Saga,” by Brian Vaughan and Fiona Staples
Reasons: anti-Family, nudity, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group.
7. “The Kite Runner,” by Khaled Hosseini
Reasons: offensive language, unsuited to age group, violence
8. “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” by Stephen Chbosky
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, homosexuality, offensive language, sexually explicit, unsuited for age group. Additional reasons: “date rape and masturbation”
9. “A Stolen Life,” Jaycee Dugard
Reasons: drugs/alcohol/smoking, offensive language, sexually explicit, and unsuited for age group
10. “Drama,” by Raina Telgemeier
Reasons: sexually explicit
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