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Mom recoils at summer reading list
© St. Petersburg Times CARROLLWOOD -- It was a bestseller, right up there with The Red Tent and Bridget Jones's Diary. Critics loved Girl With a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier's fictional tale of Griet, a 17th-century servant girl in the home of Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer. The cover looks innocent, based on the Vermeer painting of the same title. But, as we all know, covers are not how we should judge books. This one is loaded with sexual tension. Men all over town are lusting after the innocent Griet, who harbors tentative longings for the adult Vermeer. The men pursue her in ways that are sometimes tender, but more often creepy. She resists, but sometimes succumbs to their sexual advances. Too steamy for sixth grade? You bet, says Susan Einhorn of Carrollwood. While at a book fair last week, she learned that the prestigious Tampa Preparatory School recommends Pearl Earring for grades 6-12. "The book describes things that in modern times, would be considered pedophilia," said Einhorn, whose son is finishing kindergarten. "I had to say, 'Gosh. Children are too important to be exposed to that kind of material.' " Though her child does not attend Tampa Prep, Einhorn called associate head of school Peter Shepley. They went around and around, she said. He agreed to consider a disclaimer for next year's list, alerting people to the sexual content. But Einhorn wasn't satisfied. What about the young children who will read it this year? she asked. Shepley did not return our phone messages. So there's no telling whether Einhorn is alone, or whether others agree that Griet's tale is best reserved for older eyes. Not that it's easy to select books for children. School districts everywhere -- including Pasco's -- have debated the suitability of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. The wizardry theme offends some Christian parents. But in some schools, the books are Accelerated Reading selections that earn the kids points. Is that fair to those who live in Potter-free homes? The list goes on. In fact, the American Library Association maintains a list of frequently banned books; classics such as J.D. Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye and Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Einhorn does not want to ban Pearl Earring. "I happen to think the book is a terrific book," she said. She just can't imagine recommending it to a 10-year-old child. Picking up from last week, we're closer to understanding why Lake Chase gets its own special Hillsborough County road signs. It's so rescue vehicles can find the gated apartment complex. No, county parks and recreation director Ed Radice did not confuse Lake Chase with a public park. But he anticipated the complex would host events now and then that are open to the public, and that involve his department. "In the event of an emergency," Radice wrote to a county traffic manager in December, "these signs will help emergency vehicles and personnel get to the property sooner." A final note on summer reading:If your child is in public school, there is no central reading list. Some schools list AR selections on their Web sites. Others do not have Web sites, a fact that sends some parents complaining to the School Board. Tampa Prep has a good site, www.tampaprep.usf.edu. You'll find a complete reading list there, including D.H. Lawrence's Sons and Lovers. The frequently banned books, meanwhile, are listed at www.ala.org/alaorg.
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