On a more serious note...
Removing a book from the curriculum is not banning a book. Neither is it censorship. Seeing that the class in question was English, how 'bout we use the English language for our discussions, not Newspeak? Truly interested children can still read graphic depictions of child-rape in FdL's libraries and classrooms, so there is still hope for the Republic.
So, what is the downside of a school district assigning a less controversial book
not containing descriptions of white trash girls' inverted & exposed crotches? Are there not other worthy works of literature written in the English language that might bear consideration?
I guess we'll have to disagree on the following:
...ultimately I believe a personw ith a master's degree in education is in a better position to chose an educational book than a parent who hasn't read the book is.
My experience with education departments has lead me to believe that their denizens and products are singularly unqualified to make such decisions. I would rather trust in a random draw from the local phone book than trust a random Ed Dept MA holder.
The graphic depiction is useful because of the way it worked on the child--but instead of making her sick and lashing out at rape, it made her sick and she lashed out at the book.
Vodka7, I really do wonder about you after reading the above quoted sentence. I think you ought to do some thinking about what the purpose of education is and the place of education providers. I do not think it is what you describe. As a parent, I don't want some educrat trying to use such material in a utilitarian fashion to "work on" my children. I think the original article had something to say about this:
You know enough about the emotional cost of premature sexual involvement, the consequences of sexual abuse, the pernicious grip of pornography, that you want to carve out a space where a kids conscience can grow unmolested, so to speak.
That, after all, is your prerogative as a parent. And you dont want some ideologically motivated teacher or school official usurping it.
Are you with me here? If youre a parent, Im pretty sure you are. Unless youre one of those folks who likes to involve their kids as guinea pigs in clever social experiments, in which case, hey, its all about you anyway.