Of Mice and Men: Blasphemous.

I should really create a separate category to track the challenges to this book.

Of Mice and Men is currently undergoing a challenge at Newton Senior High in Iowa. The first article I read had me a bit confused. The father of the offended student is quoted as saying:

"It's more about my son's beliefs. He has aspirations of going into the ministry," Mapes said. "Clearly, the book offends his sense of decency. In his view, it is blasphemous. It certainly goes against the religious convictions that he has. We simply had asked for alternative reading."

It doesn't really sound news-worthy, right? It sounds like the kid just wants, personally, to read a different book. Skipping out on the Steinbeck would just be his loss.

But as a challenge committee has been formed, and as the Mapes team has also asked the school to reconsider use of Slaughterhouse-Five (nice timing, right?), I can only assume that they have asked for the books to be pulled from the curriculum, period.

I think this kid has a hard road ahead of him:

“When I was first asked to read the book, I didn’t think anything of it. I tried reading it, but because of my faith, I don’t take the Lord’s name in vain, once I’ve read it, it’s like I’ve already said it,” the high school junior explained to board members. “To me this is appalling and something I cannot do.”

If he wants to spend his whole life avoiding reading/seeing/hearing anything and everything that he deems profane, he's going to have to spend a whole lot of time in a dark room with the doors locked and the shades down. 

And, wow. Reading something is the same as doing it? I hope he didn't read to the end of the book. Yikes.