A high school book with sex, alcohol, drug use: Ban it?

IS IT IRONY? STUDENTS HAVE THEIR SAY

KAMLOOPS — After a Kamloops father went public this week about his efforts to get a book banned from high school reading assignments, we took the conversation back to some South Kamloops Secondary school students.

Dean Audet is pushing School District 73 and its partners to remove The Perks of Being a Wallflower as an option for school reading assignments.

"We live in a day and age when there's so many choices on literature," Audet said. "This is not one of them."

Most of the self-described ‘smoke-pit kids’ we spoke to were reading different books and never heard of the book. But after hearing Dean Audet’s list of objections to the book—sex, alcohol use, drug use, suicide and more, their reaction was probably not what Audet intended.

The nine students had just finished class yesterday and agreed that some of their peers and parents may take issue with subject material, but said many others could relate to it.

"It's perked my interest," one said.

Listen to this:

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To contact a reporter for this story, email gbrothen@infotelnews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infotelnews.ca or call 250-718-2724.