[CASL-L] Bear Town by Fredrik Bachman

[Cathy Andronik]

 Bear Town was a Nutmeg High School Book Award selection in 2020.  I was on the  committee that included it.  
There are many difficult themes for students in grades 11 and 12 to discuss in this book, given administrative support.  Yes, some of those themes--and not just the rape scene--will make students uncomfortable.  The interesting thing about this book versus some of the other books featuring toxic masculinity I've seen used in classes (Speak, The Secret Life of Bees, The Lovely Bones, etc.) is that Bear Town is written by a man, and the boys' point of view is explored at length.
Just also adding that Bear Town was a fairly well done HBO series a couple of years ago, for purposes of comparison.  
Cathy Andronik
    On Tuesday, 17 January 2023 at 11:24:49 am GMT-5, Jen <jlarkin24 at gmail.com> wrote:  
 
 We have it in our collection - along with all of his other titles.  Never had any pushback - but having it in our collection and using it in a classroom are two different things.  That being said - we use a lot of "controversial" titles in classrooms at our school, like Handmaid's Tale, Kite Runner, etc.
Is the English Department Head supportive of the decision?  Admin?  Does your school have a policy in place when adding a book for instructional purposes?
Jen LarkinSchool LibrarianEO Smith High School
On Tue, Jan 17, 2023 at 11:21 AM Martha Wright <marthawright at gmail.com> wrote:

Hello fellow school librarians,
The English teachers here are considering making Bear Town required reading.  They noted some sexual assault content in the book and are concerned about getting pushback from students. 
We are wondering:- Do you have this book in your collection?- Have you ever gotten any push-back regarding this title for the content mentioned above or anything else in the book (I have not read it)
Thank you so much for your input and help,Martha WrightKillingly High School

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