“The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” by Sherman Alexie has generated controversy at local school board meetings.
The board approved the book for inclusion in junior level English classes despite sexual references that may violate Indiana state obscenity laws related to youth.
Sadly, only one board member out of seven voted against inclusion.
Some in the community have leveled charges of book banning.
This is a typical leftist lie spread by the Biden administration and Democrat leadership.
Books are not banned and remain available for purchase if excluded from the curriculum due to inappropriate content. Those who use the word “banning” to describe exclusion from curriculum should be ashamed for perpetuating propagandistic lies.
I think three questions are important in an environment where activist educators are demanding the right to indoctrinate and sexualize children:
- Does the book have cultural value and challenge the student academically?
- Can the book be used to convey principles of harmful ideologies like Cultural Marxism (wokeness) and gender ideology?
- Can the book be used to initiate inappropriate classroom conversations about racial and sexual matters?
It is written at a comic book level of English. Time-tested classics would be more appropriate.
I have read the book. It contains coarse racial and sexual language, including use of racial slurs and references to masturbation and bestiality.
Most concerning to me, though, are sexual references that could be used to stimulate immodest sexual conversations.
The teacher requesting the book expressed contempt on social media for those who believe teachers should not communicate with youth on sexual matters.
Today’s generation of LGBT activists aren’t known for modesty or discretion.
Drag queen activities with children are occurring more frequently. Pride events with shocking, grotesque displays of public indecency are becoming commonplace.
Woke parents attend these events with their children, exposing them to the debauchery.
Both activists and parents have no sense of shame for leading youth astray.
Organizations like American Library Association (ALA) and teacher unions like National Educators Association (NEA) play a role in indoctrination and sexualization of youth.
ALA, led by Emily Drabinski, an LGBT activist, promotes inclusion of sexually graphic books in school and public libraries, as well as deplorable drag queen story hours.
NEA, led by Rebecca Pringle, a Cultural Marxist, works hand-in-glove with Biden’s Department of Education to promote wokeness and gender ideology.
Local district teacher unions like East Noble Education Association (ENEA) are NEA affiliates with union presidents like Charlie Barber attending board meetings. I assume ENEA supports the same woke agenda as NEA.
Discussions of sexuality with youth deserve special modesty and should take place within the family or church environment, led by happily married couples, not public-school classrooms led by LGBT activists.
One reader, a former elementary school principal, praised the board’s decision. He claimed the book will help youth make sense of their world.
Books like this are mud pies offering no nourishment. They don’t provide substantial answers to ultimate questions like, what is man and his purpose?
Christianity supplies answers. Children are creations of God, whose purpose is to become worshiping, fruitful image-bearers of God within the context of the natural family.
The ideologies promoted by Cultural Marxists are demonic designs to deface the image of God in developing youth.
Personally, I don’t think public education is redeemable. Contemporary public schools are built upon godless secularism, a foundation of sand, not God’s word. When storms come, the house will collapse (Matt 7:24ff).
I recommend America’s Cultural Revolution: How the Radical Left Conquered Everything by Christopher F. Rufo to understand Cultural Marxism and its infiltration of education.
Don’t Walk, Run! Productions has produced a good video on this topic. It covers American Library Association and its promotion of books with inappropriate content. The video is available in the related content section below.
Comments? Email me at [email protected] or leave a reply below. Respectful comments and questions without expletives will be posted and I will respond to them.
Robert Sparkman
RELATED CONTENT
This episode of The Briefing by Albert Mohler addresses the problems with public schools and the increase in homeschooling.
https://mohler.s3.amazonaws.com/media/audio/totl/Podcast/20231115_TheBriefing.mp3
Note: This is a modified version of a letter to the editor that I submitted to the local newspaper. Some or all of the content is applicable to a general audience. The article was written under the constraints of 600 words, which is generous for a letter to the editor, but insufficient to address every nuance or facet of complex topics.