LETTER TO EDITOR OF HERALD AND NEWS

(This is my latest letter-to-the-editor of The Herald and News, the newspaper in the small Oregon city where I grew up and now live again.)

Today, as a local writer with a B.A. in English and Literature from S.O.U., I'd like to discuss reading and education. Now this isn't a criticism of hard-working local teachers or their curriculum choices: it's one perspective on the right direction for the future.
These vampire books and such aren't appropriate reading for impressionable young children; nor are they "educational." When selecting books for school libraries and class-rooms, we should watch for those with gratuitous violence, racism, etc.
Another set of books that kids have long seen too much of are Shakespeare and the classics. It's not that a study of the true great books isn't part of a real education: but mostly they should wait for college. There are a great number of books better fit for modern American pre-university students.
My recommendations include "Ricochet River," an Oregon coming of age novel rich with Native-American culture(which also warns of the dangers of delinquency,) "Men of Iron" a well-researched novel about a medieval squire's journey to knighthood, "1,001 Arabian Nights"(an adventurous introduction to Arabic culture,) and for younger readers "Singularity" (Sleator) and "The Indian in the Cupboard" series.
It's also my opinion that we should try to instill a love of poetry in students of all levels. In order to do this, we ought to bring in less revered material about the modern world: including lyrics from popular music, which actually comprises some of the best recent U.S. poetry((still keeping out violent and truly unfit material.)
I believe by taking these steps, we can increase students' interest level and proficiency, get more students into universities and scholarships, create healthier minds, and in more cases even instill a lasting love of literature.