Let's talk about it more

Thank you, John Gilbert.

It was refreshing in a time when narrow thinking often dominates to read such an articulate, thoughtful, expression of opinion on a complicated topic.

In case you missed it, Gilbert — a teacher and parent of students who have graduated from the Jay School Corporation — spoke via a letter to the editor in Friday’s CR in defense of a book the school board has chosen to remove from the curriculum.

The book, “Kaffir Boy” by Mark Mathabane, has been used in Honors English classes at Jay County High School for about ten years. It has also offended some students, parents, and school board members along the way.

At issue is a section roughly three pages long in which the author recounts a horrific incident from his childhood in apartheid South Africa. At age seven, he innocently tagged along with a group of boys who were prostituting themselves — trading homosexual sex for food.

Mathabane’s account of the incident is graphic and upsetting, and it ends with the child fleeing the place only to be shunned by the other boys later.

Obviously, it’s not the sort of scene one wants to linger over. Nor is it the sort, as school board president Duane Starr suggested, that people would be comfortable hearing read aloud at a public meeting.

But that’s not the point.

The point is that the scene is in the book for a reason, and that the book has proven to be a great jumping off point for student discussions, reflections, debate, and thought. In other words, for education.

As John Gilbert put it in his letter, “Did it upset (students) that the innocence of a young child be so graphically destroyed? Yes. Was it inappropriate for them to have to grapple with this topic and its relation to life’s larger themes in high school? Nonsense.”

The author has encountered objections to the scene before.

Writing for The Washington Post in 1999, Mathabane said, “Many students have connected powerfully with the story of ‘Kaffir Boy.’ The book, they've told me in letters and e-mail, teaches them to never give up in the face of adversity, not to take freedom — or food — for granted, to regard education as a powerful weapon of hope, and always to strive to do the right thing.

“Could ‘Kaffir Boy’ have had this impact without the prostitution scene? I doubt it. It was an event that changed me forever.”

Ironically, Mathabane also believes students should have the option of reading alternative books if there are objections or concerns.

The father of three, he wrote, “Should my children bring home a book I find objectionable, the responsible thing for me to do would be to request that my child be assigned a different one. That's why I have no problem with parents who make such a request about ‘Kaffir Boy.’”

That option appears to have been in place at JCHS, though there’s a bit of confusion on that point. It seems to depend upon whom you ask.

Unfortunately, the Jay School Board didn’t take the time to sort out the nuances as to when a book is “required,” when it’s “assigned,” and when optional alternatives are readily available. It was a discussion worth having. — J.R.[[In-content Ad]]