Nancy, I haven't read Alexie's work. But I'm curious. Isn't this the guy who said he felt like hitting the person with a Kindle on the plane? Could this have anything to do with the attempted ban by the parents?

I read this a few weeks ago when I overheard local teachers discussing the potential controversy, and really, there's nothing in this book that your average 14-year-old doesn't already know about.

The language was mild, especially when compared to other contemporary teen fiction, and the only real reference to sexuality is a short discussion about the main character's affinity for masturbation. No surprise there, right?

Can you find me a 14-year-old boy who 1) doesn't know about masturbation and 2) doesn't love it?

Attempting to ban this book is a ludicrous effort to bury one's head in the sand. Parents may not like it that their children are growing up and thinking about sex and going through the general crises of identity that come with adolescence, but it's happening, and they can't stop it, and forbidding their students to read a book that addresses the issues in a real and intelligent way will not make the issues go away.

Shouldn't we be glad schools are finally catching on to the idea of assigning contemporary literature that is relevant and relatable? And that they are choosing books that meet students where they are and encourage exploration of identity and safer sexual practices?

The school must have known there would be some opposition, and they did their due diligence by offering an alternative selection. There are plenty offensive, vulgar, overly sexual, drug-hazed teen books on the market right now, but this isn't one of them.

Read my review here.

OK, look, I know that people get all worked up over what kids can and cannot read, but I simply do not understand it. I think the first thing I ever read on this blog was a list of banned books, many of which - the old ones - I'd read as a kid.

When I was in high school, the librarian wouldn't let me check out Parrish without a note from my mother. That was the first time I ever forged her signature.

I just requested this from BaltCo library. Maybe reading it, I'll be able to figure this out.

Simply put, I don't think parents should be quite so involved in their no-longer-exactly-kids' reading by high school. Whitehurst has a good point but I think there's the one point to be mentioned again: these aren't kids! These aren't children who don't know anything, these are teenagers. High school students. Parents need to stop actively censoring at a certain point. By high school, definitely, particularly when the school offers alternatives. What a frustrating story.

Gail, you're right. He later explained that he wasn't really upset with the Kindle owner, as much as with Amazon's growing dominance over the book industry.

Eve, I hope the statute of limitations has run on your forgery.

Biblibio, I agree that the censors should be extremely careful. I recently saw "Spring Awakening," which carried the same theme. It's a musical version of a 19th Century play, but theme is relevant today: protecting kids from information about sex can have tragic consequences.

Eve--I am shocked ... shocked! ... that you would forge a signature!

America's moral police are on the loose again. Half their teens use language that that isn't for Sunday School. Yet their parents live in half baked denial of reality. If they think their teen boy does not masturbate they are beyond hope and help.