School District OKs Controversial Novels

After more than an hour of heated debate, a majority of Newport-Mesa school board members overruled their colleagues’ objections and voted 5 to 2 to allow two novels with sexual scenes to be used in high school English classes.

Trustee Wendy Leece last month objected to David Guterson’s “Snow Falling on Cedars” and Isabel Allende’s “Of Love and Shadows,” saying their depiction of sexuality is inappropriate for teenagers. Trustee David L. Brooks agreed, and the books were pulled from a routine list of textbook adoptions for further review.

On Tuesday night, despite heavy opposition from some parents at the meeting, a majority of board members supported the books, which have come under fire in other school districts but have also won many awards.

“Sex was not the message of these books,” said board member James M. Ferryman. “ ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ is about discrimination. When the teachers are reviewing these novels in class, they’re not focusing on sex; they’re focusing on the message they’re trying to get out to the class.”

The district’s teachers chose the books, and a majority of parents support them, Ferryman said. Parents who do not want their children to read the books can ask teachers to assign their children other books instead.

But Leece and Brooks said they believe there are other novels that thoughtfully address issues of discrimination without depicting sex.

Leece said that the debate over the books was “a war over values” and that board members had arrogantly refused to listen to the voice of the community.