Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes challenged...
...in Wisconsin. The book is required reading for the freshman class, and has been used as such for the past eight years without incident.
The parent who brought the challenge released a statement that said (I think, by the way, that this is the lady who brought the original challenge -- same name, same town):
"There is pornographic and other sexual content on several pages. There are at least 52 pages where the Lord's name is taken in vain or there are swear words and other vulgar words. Also characters "portrayed as Christians" are sometimes ridiculed or portrayed in a negative way."
Sexual content? Yes. Pornographic? Not remotely. Anyway, she goes on to say that if those Christian characters were adherents to another faith, that the book wouldn't be allowed in school. I see where she's going with that argument, and it's one that's used in a lot of places to make a lot of different points, but I don't necessarily buy it: in this case, the book takes place in a mostly-Christian community. If it took place in a community with a higher population of a different faith, one would assume, that, as in real life, there would be some hypocritical jerks and some non-jerks.
She didn't mention the fact that while there are, in fact, some extremelydouche-y characters in the book who identify themselves as Christian, that there are ALSO some Christian characters who are MADE OF COMPLETE AND UTTER AWESOME. AND that one of the douche-y characters seems, by the end of the book, to be headed in a less douchebaggery direction.
(I apologize for my excessive use of the word douche. We're finally watching Season Five of Supernatural, and Dean's been saying it. A lot. Mostly in reference to angels, I should add.)
Superintendent Randy Freese says:
"...the religious stuff, the abortion, the profanity -- the theme underneath it all is it's a bullying situation and how people respond to that."
Which is, you may have noticed, a rather relevant topic at the moment.
A committee already decided in favor of keeping the book (and that students/parents may opt out of the assignment), and as the challenger has appealed that decision, the superintendent now has to decide whether or not to back the committee. If he does, the question goes to the school board. I wasn't really clear on what happens if he doesn't.
Either way, he comes off as quite fair-minded in the article -- mostly because he stressed that, before you make your personal decision about the book, you should read it for yourself. Which I already have.
As usual, my stance is this: There is the possibility of opting in or out of the assignment. If a parent doesn't want their child to participate in that assignment, fine and dandy. But that parent shouldn't be allowed to make that decision for someone else's kids.