Sunday, October 28, 2007

The Abstinence Teacher

by Tom Perrotta

Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise children: good schools, plentiful churches, and excellent extracurricular opportunities.

Who lives there?
  • Ruth Ramsey, the unassuming high school health teacher
  • Tim Mason, the enthusiastic and Jesus-loving soccer coach
  • Their families
  • Their friends
  • Their students
  • Their soccer players,
  • And plenty of God-fearing folks.

The trouble begins when an innocent comment in Ruth's sex ed class gets blown out of proportion. It is then that Ruth is forced to teach a curriculum of abstinence to her students. Her anger at the new curriculum and its proponents (the crazy Christian right of Stonewood Heights) drives Ruth to be hyper-sensitive to religion. And there's a lot of religion in this community!

I liked this novel--I liked the story, and I liked Ruth. But I'm not so sure that the title is really appropriate. This novel is more about Tim Mason than it is about Ruth Ramsey.

10/29/07

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