Obscene in the Extreme

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck has always drawn fire for its honest and raw portrayal of migrant life in the 1930s. Now a new book -- Obscene in the Extreme -- gives a more complete picture of the opposition it has faced over the years. Read an excerpt.

The Best Laid Schemes Of Mice and Men

According to the Waynesboro Record Herald in PA, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck will remain in grade 10 English classes despite a parent's attempts to have it removed from the curriculum.

Jeaneen Holman made a formal objection back in October following her daughter's assertion that she was uncomfortable with racial slurs and profanity found in the book. “I'm strictly concerned about the situation my daughter was put in and other kids,” Holman said. “To me, it's not a book that should be in the classroom.”

Of Mice and Men was first published in 1937 and has been a standard in many high schools. According to Principal Jack Appleby, his high school has been using the novel for more than 30 years.

Parents are required to sign off on a syllabus at the beginning of the school year with a list of possible books to be used during the year. Alternate books are available upon request and the student was given this option. According to Appleby, "Students who chose an alternative book work from a separate syllabus." Teachers may use different lesson plans for one person and must find ways to compare both assignments to keep students up to speed with the class.

Wikipedia says this,

The novel was banned from various American school libraries or curricula in 1993 and 1994 for "promoting euthanasia" but remains required reading in many other American high school and middle school English courses. Also, many students are studying the novel for GCSE English Literature in England, Northern Ireland and Wales, Standard Grade in Scotland and the Leaving Certificate in Ireland. It is also studied in several high schools in Victoria, Australia as part of the leadup to the completion of a VCE (Victorian Certificate of Education). It is a prescribed English text for the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and is studied by Maltese Student taking their English A Level or Intermediate Level exams for their Matriculation Certificate.

Because of the novel's content it has been the frequent target of censors and appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000 at number six. [2]

It is unbelievable that this book continues to be challenged. While most parents who initiate complaints against books being used in the schools don't seem to be interested in reading them, Ms. Holman read the book in its entirety. While she is to be commended for being concerned about what her daughter is reading, it seems to me that she didn't get the point of the book and didn't try to understand it from the context in which it was written. It is not acceptable that when alternative novels and lesson plans are available to her daughter, she pushes this issue from the English Department to the principal to the school board. It is not acceptable that one parent might have the power to determine what another child is allowed to read.