Bordering on burning

It is disheartening that Mary Jo Finney and the rest of the Coeur d’Alene district curriculum review committee believes that “Of Mice and Men” is “unsuitable for freshmen” and not “a quality story.” Finney objects to the book’s language and had enough free time to count “102 profanities” in the Steinbeck novella.

For the sake of the other classics taught to freshmen at Coeur d’Alene High School, I hope nobody explains to Finney that there are many vulgar jokes and sexual innuendos in “Romeo and Juliet.”

The committee’s incompetency is further revealed by their objection to the “negative” and “bleak” tone in “Of Mice and Men” (despite it being set during the Great Depression). I know this will probably shock the committee, but most people who lived through the Great Depression felt it actually wasn’t “great” and would probably call it, well, depressing.

I hope the school board will ignore this ill-advised recommendation. If the school board pushes “Of Mice and Men” out of ninth grade classes, they might as well turn the thermostat at Coeur d’Alene High School up to 451 degrees.

Drew Piper

Spokane