Where to begin? Well, if you have a high school student, how about: “Do you know what books your child is required to read?”

We were shocked, to say the least, to discover that mandatory reading for our freshman at Freeport High School included a novel called “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian,” by Sherman Alexie.

I draw your attention to pages 25 and 26 to begin with. Yes, believe it or not, your child is being “taught” to masturbate. (Not the only questionable subject matter in this book, by the way.) There probably is some good subject matter in this book – but I had a hard time reading past the unsavory parts.

This is just one example of a poor choice of reading material. Let’s look at “What Happened to Cass McBride,” by Gail Giles. First of all, the text of this novel is full of four-letter words, while the subject matter (the drugging and kidnapping of a mean-girl student) is questionable, to say the least.

No. I’m not a prude. However, I do believe that it matters what we put into our young people’s minds, and how we approach it. I do believe in absolute truth – not whatever feels right or good.

Sadly, when these concerns were brought to the school, they saw nothing wrong with it. Scary!

Parents, please get involved in your child’s schooling. Know what they are studying and if you’re not OK with it, speak up! You won’t be alone!

Brenda Goulet

Durham