‘In Cold Blood’ should be required reading

I wholeheartedly agree with the wisdom expressed by Samuel H. Pillsbury in his letter stating his reasons why “In Cold Blood” should be included in any junior or senior student’s curriculum (“A ‘Cold Blood’ teaching moment,” Sept. 28).

In fact, I think it should be required reading for all secondary students.

I certainly understand the desire of adults to shelter their children from the ugliness of real-life violence; however, we do our teenagers a terrible disservice if we actually do so.

To counteract all the gratuitous and unrealistic depictions of violence currently in our culture, we must show our young people the true horrors of killing another human being and the terrible consequences thereof.

Claire Starrett

Glendale