Does Modern Literature Damage Our Kids?

Novels are about more than sharing an experience, they are used to change society. Today there is a real trend to write books to expose middle school children to sex.

I read a book about writing that stated secular literature began as an alternative to books about the lives of Catholic saints. I was surprised to learn this, but this fact makes the entire field more understandable for Catholic parents.

I have researched what types of books parents object to, and some of the stuff kids are reading in English Literature reads like erotica. One book parents complained about graphically described teens having rough sex in a bathtub. I understood it was read in some high schools because it addressed life in a gang. However, when I read the passage, as a teacher, I wondered why it was necessary to use that book to teach. Teachers have a lot of control in their classrooms.

While literature has always been avant-garde, it hasn’t always been graphically sexual. Novels of old have used the “less is more” approach to sex, and any skilled writer knows you can write things in a way that does not go into details that shock or titillate. I understand different people judge things differently, but when handing out a reading assignment, most teachers are wise enough not to require erotic reads. But not all.

I’m not arguing for censorship. I’ve read all sorts of books like J.D. Salinger’s controversial Catcher in the Rye, and Faulkner’s pro-abortion As I Lay Dying. Because I was over eighteen, I already knew what I believed and why. Adults read what they read without fear they will be morally confused. Kids are another story.

I became cautious about English Literature programs in schools about ten years ago when my eighth-grade son’s class read the novel Speak. It’s a rape story. He didn’t even understand what rape was. All he felt was that the book said all boys are bad.

My son’s English teacher then started to read to the class Go Ask Alice which is a book about drugs, prostitution, and lesbianism. We asked for an alternative assignment, but it wasn’t a pleasant experience. The real eye-opener was when the principal (a religious sister) stated the teacher didn’t read the bad parts. I believe that was why the teacher read it, because she felt parents can’t be trusted to raise kids in today’s world. The next year the teacher retired, and I’m happy to report my son turned out fine without reading that book.

A few years later, at a Catholic high school, my daughter was assigned The Kite Runner in the eleventh grade. I read the book to preview it, and I found an entire chapter about the character’s in vitro fertilization experiences. I pointed out to the teacher that the book praised IVF so much, and since IVF went against Church teaching, maybe it wasn’t the best choice for the kids, especially given how many excellent books are out there with superior writing. The teacher gave my child an alternative reading assignment, but the rest of the Catholic students went on to absorb the writer’s message about IVF.

I don’t believe most mainstream publishers welcome true Catholic writers. Many Catholic writers today self-publish. Yet our schools look to publishers’ recommendations for their classroom assignments. Agendas are there. Other people’s kids are always a target for those who don’t like a belief system such as Catholic sexual restraint.

The role of being both a Catholic and a parent is serious. I no longer trust that the literary community respects parents. They feel children need to be exposed to “real life.” These books are in middle school reading curriculums now. It’s up to parents to be wise to what is happening.

What I’ve learned through my experiences is ask questions and preview books. It’s better than the impact of an inappropriate book staying in a child’s imagination.