If you are familiar with A Handmaid's Tale

[dowagercountess]

Tell me what you think about it for an AP 10/11 grade class with a minor Mormon/Fundie population...

[Deleted]

I ... would probably expect mild backlash from the parents.

But personally I think it delves into important matters for people/adolescents to discuss.

I also think you may need to ask much more direct and probing questions than you may expect.

I loved that book.

[cleo29]

FOr an AP class I think it is ok.

Have you heard of/read The Gate To Women's Country? I read that in high school and it was an interesting book.
www.amazon.com/Gate-Womens-Country-Sheri-Tepper/dp/0553280643

[smock]

I think it would be awesome.

[jaylea]

I am just reading it now. I think it would be great to explore with an AP class.

[Deleted]

i think it would be awesomely subversive and the only way i could get through living in that world.

wait, i read it as "major." for a minor population i don't think that they would feel attacked in any fashion. it's not a faux mormon religion. i do think it might cause those who are questioning to perhaps question louder, if they're perceptive enough to extrapolate. but questioning isn't an attack.

[bleubook]

The movie or the book. The movie has sex scenes...a fair amount of them.

[imoan]

You and I have already discussed this, but:

I think The Handmaid's Tale is an incredible educational tool for AP Lit classes for teenagers. Although I'm sure some super Fundies will be a little pearl-clutchy over the subject matter, I don't see it being so overly graphic that you couldn't make an argument for it.

All I know is that the book made an incredible impact on me as a teenager in my own AP classes... I think it's something that should be taught in all high schools.

[sawyerthedestroyer]

Ditto expect some backlash from the parents, but other than that, who cares? Do it! I grew up in a very Christian household and read it for the first time my senior year; it had a big impact on me and I think helped me develop my taste in literature.

[gault]

Best case: fascinating student discussions about the what-if's of the subject matter, growin' brain cells
Worst case: some parents might throw a minor fuss.

The book is worth it. Do it!

[janiejones]

Pretty sure we read it in grade 11 english. Maybe grade 12, but I really think it was 11.

[BlackCanary]

IMO if it's an AP class, I think it will be fine. Though I do agree with a PP that some parents might not be happy.

It's one of my favorite books.

[broc]

She uses the fuck word in context, so prep a macroed response, eg 'we think they'll be able to handle rough language with maturity' if parents complain.

[Deleted]

I would go for it, but if you have any concerns, could you send out a letter to the parents? Something explaining that you'd like to cover the book, but you wanted to warn parents about the language and sex?

[eightangryreindeer]

Well, I read it in 10th grade top track English, during Reagan, so why not?

[sterl724]

I think in a higher level English class it should be fine. I usually send a letter home if I teach something I expect resistance on. (FWIW, I teach honors level English to upperclassmen.)

I find that usually, most parents don't fight it if they have been made aware ahead of time are get an explanation of what is being covered and the rationale for doing so.

[murdock]

As a novice teacher, I did this with a similar population. I was in Hawaii at a high school whose district covered BYU's Hawaii campus (class was 40% mormon).

It went ok. I treaded lightly on a few issues so they could make their own conclusions from the reading. I wish I could remember more about what I tweaked...

I did have one (mormon) parent with concerns, but everything concerned them so I didn't handle it well. I just sort of yes'd them to death and then did what I was going to do anyway. (while still treading lightly). I'm sorry this info sucks--this was 12 yrs ago.

[murdock]

I forgot to mention the book was in the state curriculum for 12th grade AP. So, I didn't have to worry about backlash over the sex. The parents would have had to go above me for that.

[onesweetworld]

We read it in 10th grade English. I think it should be fine. I would not pre-warn parents. Makes it a bigger deal than it is. For the record I didn't like the book. Way too creepy for me.

[Jalapeñomel]

If they are taking an AP course, the parents need to realize that the books being read are on a higher level and deal with more complex and controversial ideas.

[kaybee85]

I might address it ahead of time with parents to avoid some of the backlash. I've found that conservative parents are less crazy about this stuff when they feel involved. Granted, this is an older population than I am used to, but that could help alleviate pressure. I also agree AP makes it easier to argue

[Deleted]

I say go for it.