Parent on erotic book at Nampa High School: 'I'm shocked'
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NAMPA, Idaho (KBOI) - After concern from parents, a popular novel has been taken off the reading list at Nampa High School.
The book, "Like Water for Chocolate," became a major motion picture 20 years ago. But now it's considered too racy for sophomores who already started reading it.
The book has been considered a contemporary classic in Latin American literature. In the past, parents say teachers would read edited excerpts.
Parents say when free reading was permitted is when the complaints started pouring it.
"We were saying how crazy it was," said Megan Chandler, a Nampa High sophomore. "Our other English classes had already pulled it today, but we (our class) still read it. I don't know if my class is going to pull it."
Chandler said she skipped several of the racier parts of the book because it made her feel uncomfortable.
"I still think we shouldn't have been able to do it," Chandler said. "There are just some things that are in there that are inappropriate for sophomores in high school."
Like Water for Chocolate is described as earthy and romantic. When KBOI-TV asked why it was pulled, the school district replied with just two words.
"Sexual Situations."
"I actually read a few passages from the book today in an email that was sent to me and I was shocked and appalled that it was something in the school," said Jan Lakey, a local parent.
One of those "sexual situations" described comes from Page 55.
"Naked as she was, with her loosened hair falling to her waist, luminous, glowing with energy, she might have been an angel and devil in one woman," the book reads.
"The delicacy of her face, the perfection of her pure virginal body contrasted with the passion, the lust, that leapt from her eyes, from her every pore."
And on Page 66.
"Under her blouse, her breasts moved freely, since she never wore a brassiere. Drops of sweat formed on her neck and ran down into the crease between her firm round breasts."
News of the book's removal spread quickly to several Nampa parents.
"It does bother me, I mean this is a public school - there's no place for that sort of thing in a public school," said Bob Solberg, another parent.
But not everyone agrees.
"Sex is everywhere and I think it...they're going to get it one way or another," said Andrew Hollingsworth, a Nampa resident.
The book isn't a stranger to controversy. In the past, the book has been pulled from school districts in Wisconsin and Arizona.
The book, "Like Water for Chocolate," became a major motion picture 20 years ago. But now it's considered too racy for sophomores who already started reading it.
The book has been considered a contemporary classic in Latin American literature. In the past, parents say teachers would read edited excerpts.
Parents say when free reading was permitted is when the complaints started pouring it.
"We were saying how crazy it was," said Megan Chandler, a Nampa High sophomore. "Our other English classes had already pulled it today, but we (our class) still read it. I don't know if my class is going to pull it."
Chandler said she skipped several of the racier parts of the book because it made her feel uncomfortable.
"I still think we shouldn't have been able to do it," Chandler said. "There are just some things that are in there that are inappropriate for sophomores in high school."
Like Water for Chocolate is described as earthy and romantic. When KBOI-TV asked why it was pulled, the school district replied with just two words.
"Sexual Situations."
"I actually read a few passages from the book today in an email that was sent to me and I was shocked and appalled that it was something in the school," said Jan Lakey, a local parent.
One of those "sexual situations" described comes from Page 55.
"Naked as she was, with her loosened hair falling to her waist, luminous, glowing with energy, she might have been an angel and devil in one woman," the book reads.
"The delicacy of her face, the perfection of her pure virginal body contrasted with the passion, the lust, that leapt from her eyes, from her every pore."
And on Page 66.
"Under her blouse, her breasts moved freely, since she never wore a brassiere. Drops of sweat formed on her neck and ran down into the crease between her firm round breasts."
News of the book's removal spread quickly to several Nampa parents.
"It does bother me, I mean this is a public school - there's no place for that sort of thing in a public school," said Bob Solberg, another parent.
But not everyone agrees.
"Sex is everywhere and I think it...they're going to get it one way or another," said Andrew Hollingsworth, a Nampa resident.
The book isn't a stranger to controversy. In the past, the book has been pulled from school districts in Wisconsin and Arizona.
The movie version of this book was rated R noone under 17 allowed without a parents permission. Well 15 year old sould not be allowed to read it either without parental permission.
These kids are 15-16 years old, do you really think they have seen or heard worse on TV? At least with a book they are getting the benefit of having to use their imagination. Sex is everywhere why not just blindfold them and plug their ears so they won't hear about it. Stupid!
*haven't
Ok, so we now have schools who want to administer birth control, condoms, and the morning after pill; which clearly means teens are having sex, even sophomores. But they don't want them reading about it. What kind of sense does this make? Seriously..
This was never a book I was interested in, just not my style. But I will be adding it to my home library now. I refuse to let my children be subjected to the narrowmindedness of bookbanning mentality. If one school does it, the rest will soon follow, like a house of cards. Whether they choose to read it or not is a moot point. They need to have the ability to make that choice for themselves.
 @Sheri Lee Great point! (o:  Yes, they DO need to be able to make that choice for themselves, and that is the whole issue here.  There are kids who don't want to be forced TO read this book.  The  book in question was "pulled" from the REQUIRED reading list in the English classes...they were studying the book for a grade.  I didn't see or hear anything in the news piece about the book being banned from the library or the school grounds....it appears that people in this comment thread have "assumed" this (and honestly, I can see why because of how things were worded).  My daughter is one of the sophomores who had to read this book, and she was uncomfortable with some of the sexual subject matter.  SHE came to ME and expressed concern.  The English teachers did not tell parents that this book was going to be studied, so in most cases it was the kids who went to their parents to express concern about what they were reading.  My daughter brought up her concerns about this book to her teacher at Parent Teacher Conference...not me (after meeting with SO many teachers that day I had forgotten all about it).  I'm proud of her, and Megan, and other kids who have the courage to stand up and make an unpopular choice to honor their personal moral standards...and especially to do it on TV.  It's a free country....we all have the right to read whatever we want.  We should also have the right to not be forced or required to read things in school that we personally feel are offensive!  Wouldn't you agree? (o:
If some parents want their delicate snowflakes to opt out of reading the book, fine. School districts have professional librarians and teachers who review which books are accepted or not accepted into the curriculum based on content, age/maturity of the students, etc. But I don't agree with one or two parents acting as the moral barometers for all students and ginning up controversy to get a book banned. The same parents that are 'aghast' over this book probably have no problem with ultra-violent movies or video games. Leave the decisions about curriculum to the professionals.
They should ban the bible too, that's far more racy, with depictions of horrific death, incest, torture, and on and on. Â
@yournot Duh the bible is banned from school
those same parents prob dont think twice about their kids watching Jersey Shore or 16 & Pregnant or even daytime soaps. So by thier thinking is it ok to see Snookies tatas on display on every mag but if it's The David it's trash and vulgar? Come on get a grip... when it's gratuadis smut on tv it's ok but when it's a classic that makes/ allows their kid to think ans accidentlly get some frickin culture then it's a horrid sin. THIS IS WHAT'S WRONG WITH US ALL! If the parents dont smarten the hell up then there is no hope for their kids. If my kids were in this school I would still make them read the book at home (they are only 5&7 now) on principal. Need I remind you thease kids are sophmours- about 15-17 years old...
@Kristy Bill They happen to be the parents of my friends, who would never watch that kind of crap behind their backs! Don't just think that the parents were invovled. They are kind and strong people that want to keep their morals. Now THAT sounds grown up!
@Kristy Bill Cant wait to see how your kids grow up with no morals and reading something this sexual at 5 and 7 bet you havent even read the book even the ,ovie was rated R These 15 year olds would not be allowed in without a parents permission so why should they be allowed to read this without parental permission
Yup, more and more like 1930's Germany every day.
Oh, brother. Â I'd like to follow these kids who feel uncomfortable to the movies this weekend and watch how uncomfortable they are and ask there parents which movies they censor. Â Right.... Â There is more to be upset about in the violent video games and movies these kids spend hours of their time play/viewing. Â I read banned books!
Not any racier than any of the gazillion paint-by-numbers romance novels that I read as a teen and are still out there. Book banning is a bad idea. If you don't like it, don't read it. Not your call to make it inaccessible to others.
@Debbie Sherrill Mittleman I want to know if those paint by number books were required for your grade. These kids could not just decide to not read it, they were forced whether they liked it or not. The book is still accesible for anyone to read on thier own
This is crude? Shakespear was crude! There are wordplays on words that are not printable here. Hemingway could be crude too. How about "The Godfather", available in any public library? It has, as I recall, a pretty vivid sex scene in it. How many kids read that and weren't scarred for life? As always, adults are miles behind the kids. Same as it ever was.
I may be new to the way that parents relate to thier respective schools, but sex is not new. Most students with a cell phone will have said raunchier things to thier friends during the course of a normal day. And yes I'm including those rarified A.P. ones too. Besides, didn't or shouldn't we have stopped banning\burnining books in a free country years and years ago?
I am sorry but all these books we are banning from schools is rediculous. Kids see more than this, and hear more than this from tv shows and even commercials. Parents need to be parents and stop blaming books and such for the fact that they have not educated their children. Sex is everywhere and kids should hear about it from their parents first.
So.. they can watch sex on TV, read about sexual encounters in cosmo magazines, but when it comes to a book... Parents are flustered? Sounds like someone just wants attention.
Not Nampa High alone! on âWater for Chocolatesâ, This Society is sex nutty enough,  is this all the people and their children have to do, or want to do is, play with themselves, somebody else, watch it done, talk about it.
Sex has been around since Adam and Eve, but here if 2012 and people; are still treating like it is Toy and the children, the result get dumped upon a rock and grow up like wild weeds, with no guidance, assistance, âyou care take your gardens, please hold you Childs hand, early onâ, before they get let loose upon the streets/
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