Interest has been high in the debate over whether to keep T.C. Boyle’s “The Tortilla Curtain” on high school reading lists at Santa Rosa City Schools. The school board voted Wednesday 7-0 to maintain its policy of keeping the book available and limiting it to juniors and seniors while allowing students to opt out and read something else.
Montgomery High parent Liz Franzel said Thursday that she was disappointed but not surprised that the school opted to keep the book available.
“I wasn’t surprised because it was more politically driven,” she said. “Unfortunately the majority of the board did not like the book, thought it was ‘graphic,’ ‘gave him a headache,’ ‘couldn’t get through it.’ Yet instead of being led by those feelings, I believe they were trying to be politically correct with the whole ruling of the issue.”
Franzel worried that the opt-out option would make students even more uncomfortable. She reiterated that she doesn’t oppose the book being available in school libraries, she just doesn’t want it taught in classrooms.
The book contains copious amounts of profanity, as well as graphic sex scenes and describes a rape.
But backers say it’s a powerful tale of the American dream that deals realistically with immigration, poverty, class and race struggles.
Ridgway High English teacher Nancy Watanabe called it an “amazing” and “moving” book.
In speaking with board member Larry Haenel, who for decades taught English at Montgomery, he said reading about heavy subjects can teach students how people survive sometimes unspeakable circumstances.
“I read the rape scene and the rape shows the horror of a rape,” he said. “Why would we want to hide that from students? Why wouldn’t we want our students to understand the horrors of the act and the healing that needs to happen after such a horror?”
School Board member Laura Gonzalez said she didn’t like the book, but that did not mean she was willing to strike it from the reading list. She also countered the notion that high school students should be entirely sheltered from harsh realities.
“When a child turns 18, it’s not like they can all of a sudden understand life,” she said. “At least in a high school setting they are more likely to be led through it, they are more likely to talk about it.”
Franzel said that is the role of parents, not teachers.
“There is a time and place for everything,” Franzel said. “This book does not belong in high school.”
She said Thursday she is not sure what her next step, if any, would be.
She has no regrets about filing the complaint and requesting the change, though.
“It’s opened it up to a bigger arena, not just confined to the school board level,” she said. “This might give parents, (it might) open their eyes to a situation that they might not be aware of that is going on.”
“Maybe it’s not over,” she said. “Maybe this was the tip of the iceberg that this has opened. I would strongly caution parents to read what their child is reading.”
Kate
I frequently hear the refrain, “It is up to the parent…” to teach young people about the realities of life. Are parents really following through with that? I graduated from college only a few years ago, and it seemed as though many of my classmates were pretty naive about the world. Not only did they not understand basic life-skills (cooking, budgeting, etc.), they lacked an understanding about the world beyond their own immediate family/life. Concepts such as poverty, sexism, violence, even different cultures, were completely foreign. I assert that a parent has a right to monitor what their minor child may be reading, but if parent’s don’t allow their children to be exposed to the realities of the world, both good and bad, how can they expect to raise fully functioning, aware, critical and conscientious citizens? If the parent does not want to be bothered, then I guess it is up to the schools to teach this. Kudos to SR High for doing what’s right.
January 29th, 2010 9:45 am
none
Kerry:
Good viewpoints from some local teens on the whole Tortilla Curtain issue here:
http://teenlife.blogs.pressdemocrat.com/
January 29th, 2010 9:46 am
jawbreaker
Everything ELSE has to do with tortillas, so why no the school ?
January 29th, 2010 10:22 am
Mary
When I was a Freshman in high school in the 60s we read To Kill a Mockingbird. I still remember my mother’s reaction when she saw that it contained the word “whore”. Some people really can’t see the forest for the trees.
January 29th, 2010 10:30 am
James
I’m pretty sure that recently a high school girl got savagely raped at a homecoming dance by a large group of boys and men – right here in the Bay Area. An even larger group stood around watching and we all scratched our heads and wondered why none of them reported it or tried to help the girl. We asked ourselves, “how could they have not known that this behavior was wrong and should have been stopped and reported?”
January 29th, 2010 10:35 am
The Truth
The author must love this silly controversy. It will help sell more books. I haven’t read Tortilla Curtain, but I did read graphic novels that were required in high school classes over 30 years ago that addressed poverty, rape and murder and other social issues (see “Native Son”),and no one made such a big stink over it. Maybe we were a lot more sophisticated and open-minded 30 years ago. If that is the case, our education system is regressing and deteriorating, which a very bad indication for our future.
January 29th, 2010 10:36 am
Danorama
So this book is bad but a book about
-a family burying a loved one on the side of the highway
-a fundamentalist preacher bragging about having sex with teenage girls in his congregation
-the denunciation of Christianity
-people starving to death right here in CA
-a young new mother breast-feeding a desperate homeless vagrant
is okay for class?
Oh thats right.
The Grapes of Wrath is more wholesome because it is not about Mexicans.
Frazel’s criticism once again makes me think we should require licenses to reproduce.
She is clearly not well qualified.
January 29th, 2010 11:12 am
widget
This book wouldn’t have been appropriate for high schoolers in my generation (gradutaed H.S. in 1967), but I’m afraid that today’s high school kids are more sexaully aware, are exposed to profanity on a daily basis, often from their own parents, and probably would not be appalled by the rougher content of the book. The sad thing is that profanity is so unnecessary. The good thing is that any kid who reads this is probably mature and intelligent enough to process the content.
January 29th, 2010 11:28 am
laura
jawbreaker,please pretend that you have something smart to contribute instead of the racist dribble you are always spewing!!
January 29th, 2010 11:31 am
terkel
If this had been a book with any sort of a conservative slant (illegal immigration harms a society, homosexuality is not necessarily good, The United States is a great country with great traditions) it would have been pulled from the shelves without a whisper.
January 29th, 2010 11:37 am
terkel
Check out Evil Klown to get educated.
January 29th, 2010 11:42 am
The Truth
Not true, Terkel. A book with political drivel that you suggest would be welcome in a U.S. government class, followed by political discussion. Try to keep ridiculous examples out of the discussion.
January 29th, 2010 11:47 am
terkel
Widget is right. The good part about a book with content matter like this, is that the idiots won’t read it to begin with. Those who can and do read it will most likely be mature enough to survive emotionally. I had T.C. Boyle as an instructor at USC. He’s a very likeable and truly open minded guy (right leaning ideas aren’t demeaned or squashed).
January 29th, 2010 11:47 am
terkel
The Truth. The fact that you label it “drivel” says all that needs to be said as to your open mindedness and liberal mentality. Political discussion and open mindedness with a liberal can be seen when a conservative tries to speak at any campus.
January 29th, 2010 11:50 am
Kay D.
Well, I say shame on the board for voting to keep this book on the list. I am so saddened by this. This book is disgusting. and yes I have read most of the book.
January 29th, 2010 12:12 pm
BookReader
I hope that parents do their job too but what about the phrase, “It takes a village to raise a child?” Everyone could benefit from educational situations/books/perspectives supplied by someone or something other than their parents. Reading controversial books is but one way to expand your own world view.
Cheers to the board. Kids who are waived from reading the book will blame their parents for being dorks and won’t be chastised by their peers like you are worried will happen.
January 29th, 2010 12:13 pm
Josie
I think that the board did it’s job. I am a parent of two highschool girls and I think by hiding the reality of the world we live in today is wrong. I want my kids to read and hear about horrible things that happen like this. I have a very good relationship with my daughters and I am very open with them and if we try to hide that this stuff really happens is very devastating and the effect it has then we are not doing the job we should be as a parent. In order to protect are children we have to be honest with our children. I would never want to be the parent that says it wont happen to my child or my child would never do that we do the best we can as parents but don’t be blind it could happen and they need to be aware!
January 29th, 2010 12:30 pm
couplewords
When I was in the 4th grade in a private school, I didn’t have a clue what “posterior” meant! Then when I got into college, I met girls who thought you’d get pregnant by kissing! No offense but I’d like my child to be a little more savvy than an aborigine about to enter a nunnery.
January 29th, 2010 12:41 pm
Mike
It seems everyone is taking an interest in turning an English class into a morality lesson to raise social consciousness; they just differ on what set of values to teach. Why not just teach English? The lesson shouldn’t be to challenge or reinforce a belief system, but a study on how the language can be used to tell a story that effects people. I may not have agreed with Steinbeck’s politics, but they guy was a master of the English language. By indoctrinating instead of educating we‘re cheating ourselves out of future Steinbecks.
January 29th, 2010 12:42 pm
What The Tortilla Curtain taught me – Wine Country Mom - Santa Rosa Mom - Santa Rosa, CA - Archive
[...] to read up on Kerry Benefield’s blog: Parent seeks to remove book from school reading list, and Parent not convinced tortilla curtain belongs in class. Note the amount of comments left on each blog. The first blog alone warranted 55 comments [...]
January 29th, 2010 3:36 pm
Scott
I can’t believe there is so much positive remarks about the school board’s decision. Have you read this? I’ve read parts of the book and it’s horrible. there is no way I’ll let my kids read this stuff in high school. I hear the arguments, nobody wants to censor harsh books out of the library, we just don’t want porn, rape, racism, hate and like used to teach kids not to persue such things. There are other ways! Use your imagination! You can teach about these things while not patronizing them.
January 29th, 2010 4:07 pm
Jeney
Mike: THANK YOU!
January 29th, 2010 4:21 pm
Anne
Unbelievable! Just because teenagers are already exposed to profanity and vulgarity everyday from their peers, does not mean it is appropriate to assign it to them to read as well. If I heard a better argument than “everyone’s doing it” I might not be so outraged. I’m not for outlawing this book (the public should be allowed free access to it), but I do agree that students should not be REQUIRED to read this book. It deserves an R-rating and like any R-rated films that are shown to high school students, a parent permission slip should be required prior to assigning this book to any student.
January 29th, 2010 5:00 pm
Sarah
I’m a junior, and we read this book last semester. It was an amazing and moving book that showed what could actually happen in life. Has the mother read this book? She mentions that it has ‘graphic rape/sex scenes’ even though it doesn’t. When the rape does occur, it is mentioned in a more overall and emotional view. It does not describe it in any kind of pornographic way. This book shows life like it actually is, and life is not a fairytale of love.
Also, none of the students are required to read the book. My teacher openly stated that if any students felt that this book was ‘too much’ in their opinion, she would assign them a different book and they could go to the library, read and do work during any conversations and discussions about it.
As a high school student, I thought this book was amazing and eye-opening. If you don’t want to read it because it is too ‘profane’ then what is life like to you?
Keep the book! (:
January 29th, 2010 8:06 pm
Vote them all out
The left ALWAYS WINS in Sonoma County. This is a PRO-ILLEGAL immigration book.
Just another PROPAGANDA PIECE by the left.
February 4th, 2010 10:36 pm
Laughter
“Vote them all out”- That was hysterical!!! I read that as a big satirical joke. You must really understand satire- that’s why you understood the novel so well and why you posted the comments here. Oh man, you’re a hoot! I thought the satire in the novel was wonderfully funny too. Thanks for continuing the literary mode.
February 5th, 2010 3:09 pm