Four years after the book Ricochet River came to Clackamas High School, the North Clackamas School District is awash with controversy.

At a Jan. 6 hearing, board members heard arguments regarding the novel’s merits as supplemental reading material in Rex Putnam and Clackamas high schools’ sophomore curricula.

Some local citizens want the novel, written by Portland-area resident Robin Cody, banned due to profanity and sexual content.

Other parents, students and teachers say the book’s historical references and local geographical ties make it a valuable teaching tool.

Clackamas High English teacher Nancy Utterback said that until this year, the number of parents objecting to the book has been limited. She presents the title as a choice among five that students may read in small groups, in a book-club type setting.

"First and foremost, it’s a very well-written book," she said. "It’s appealing to teenagers and growing up – a lot of students enjoy reading it."

District superintendent Ron Naso said Ricochet River is used in a different setting at Rex Putnam. "Some teachers use the book as the guiding text for an entire unit," incorporating science, social studies and language arts, he said.

"The book is centered around Native American and small-town history and the role of salmon in Oregon culture.

"We don’t get into a situation where students are forced to read a supplemental text they disagree with."

Some parents disapprove

Clackamas parent Dave Tragethon said his daughter didn’t have the chance to make that choice. "I first encountered the book when my daughter was a sophomore," he said.

"It was introduced late into the school year, and by the time she got to the passages we’re concerned about, we were told there weren’t any options because it’s tied to three different subjects, and there was not time for different materials."

Two years later, his son is a sophomore, and the book he objected to is still being used.

"The edited version (of Ricochet River) still has very sexually explicit language in it," he said.

As a result of the students’ experience and after hearing complaints from other parents, Tragethon said he and his wife, along with another local couple, established the web site A New Excellence, an organization and information site dedicated to excluding profane, violent and sexually explicit materials from school curricula.

"We would like the school board to take a look at the language and determine whether it’s appropriate," he noted. "We prefer they make the determination not to use it, at least at the sophomore level. Maybe at the senior level, with permission."

He also expressed worries about what he considers to be an open door for sexual harrassment accusations and litigation the books may provide. "Discussion outside the classroom can lead to fertile ground for that type of suit," he said.

Students and citizens comment

Interestingly, A New Excellence’s web site - http://newexcellence.home.comcast.net – offers a chance for the community to comment on the issue, and many of the comments advocate keeping the novel in the curriculum.

Morgan Cummings, a senior at David Douglas High School, wrote, "Compared to most of the movies teenagers watch today, the book could hardly even be considered graphic. Ricochet River is a beautifully written, thought-provoking novel, and I think it's ridiculous that you want to ban it over a couple of pages that are somewhat sexually explicit. In fact, I wish we would study it at my high school. Perhaps I will raise this subject with our student council."

A teacher from the Milwaukie area, identified as R. William, posted the comments, "I'm not quite sure how to feel about New Excellence now. As a teacher at a high school outside the N. Clackamas District, and without access to a large quantity of Ricochet River, my students all want to read that book instead of what I've assigned! They want to find out what their missing. So thanks for helping me get my students excited about reading, but can you start a big fuss over Of Mice and Men next please?"

Liam Rosen, 17, a senior at Clackamas High and class vice-president, also read the book when it wasn’t assigned. "I thought it was one of the best books I’ve ever read," he said. "It appealed to me more because it’s set right around the area where we live.

"You’re reading about things you actually know of – it’s amazing to think of a published book, and say, ‘Hey, I go there a lot!’"

Rosen spoke at the recent hearing. "I gave a speech because I didn’t want them interfering with other students’ rights to read this book when really it should have been their own student’s decision.

"With banning, there’s not enough student involvement. I’d like to see more of a student involvement in some of the administrative processes."

As for the book’s use of profanity, he said, "The language is something I hear and unfortunately use every day. Kids may cuss every once in a while; if that happens, they shouldn’t be trying to shelter their children from that."

However, Clackamas web poster, Michelle, expressed her support of, and agreement with, the group. "Why do teens commit more violence, have more sex and disrespect their parents more now than they did 50 years ago?" she wrote. "This is fact, you know. I have tried to put a correlation between the moral values our society teaches and the society that is produced.

"All of us concerned parents think it is due to lowering the standards of decency, exactly what is being done here. Correct me if I'm wrong. Great job all of you who are trying to keep decency in school! Well done, good and faithful parents! Don't give up!"

The author speaks

Cody, the book’s author, attended the Jan. 6 hearing. According to an e-mail, "the book has been around in paperback for a decade now and is often taught in high school English classes.

"And I’ve never seen it taught better than at Clackamas High, where teachers come at the text not only as literature but also as biology and ecology, for life cycle of the salmon, and as social studies, for the Indian lore.

"Parents who object to the book quote passages out of context and offer logger-language to the school board as if that’s what the book is about. They question the integrity of the educators. It’s a particularly mean-spirited attack on a team of teachers and administrators who are as responsible and dedicated a group as you’ll ever find."

Because sexuality is peripheral to the actual story, Cody said, and because the paperback publisher "went bust last year," a more highly edited version of the novel is expected to be released this spring.

"I toned down one passage and cut another one completely without sacrificing anything of the literary merit," he noted. "In the process I made many other revisions that had nothing at all to do with sex or vulgarity. It’s a better book."

"The best of both worlds…"

Lindy Batdorf, a published author who grew up with Cody and currently a site council member, said she supports the removal of Ricochet River from the classroom.

"It’s not a matter of religious agenda or a book-burning attitude," she said. "It’s simply parents who love their kids, and don’t want them reading material that is not age-appropriate.

"It’s not a bad book, or an evil book – it’s just not appropriate for tenth-grade reading."

Batdorf and Tragethon both acknowledge the educational merit of the rest of the novel, and admit that a version editing out the passages to which they object would be acceptable.

"Cody said at the hearing that the edited version deletes the hotel scene and rewrites [objectionable passages]," Tragethon said. "If that’s the case, I think that’s the best of both worlds.

"If it were just [profanity] this book would not have been challenged."

Naso noted that this was the first time the book has been brought to the school board.

"It’s used in a lot of school districts in the Metro region," he said.

He also said he read the book himself. "I think it is a remarkable study in the kinds of experiences that young people have growing up. It certainly has great credence for me, because I grew up in a small town.

"I’m not from Oregon; I learned more about salmon and that whole cycle of life than I have learned in any other format. I think it’s just filled with a lot of content that’s very valuable.

"What’s happened is some folks who have some concerns have managed to extract bits and pieces… I don’t think it does service to the quality of the book."

Positive effects

Naso said the board’s solution to the debate will likely be among three alternatives: to no longer use Ricochet River in the classroom, to continue its use with conditions – such as requiring parent permission – or to ban its classroom use.

"Most of the discussion up to this point has been about some kind of communication with parents about the book," he said.

The controversy that has arisen as a result of the novel’s use has brought to the forefront shortcomings in current supplementary text selection policy. "Our job as staff and board directors is to provide policy that doesn’t put teachers in a position to be second-guessed at every turn.

"To me what’s come out of this in a positive way is our own acknowledgement that we need to have a process in place whereby supplemental textbook choice does go through some review; not a single teacher decides without some explanation.

"We’re working on doing a better job of providing communication to parents so chioces can be better made."

At the high school level, though, Naso admits that students need to learn to make their own decisions. "As much as we’d like to protect them, they have to take a role in who they are and what they do."

On Jan. 20, the school board’s decision to ban or continue use of Ricochet River will bring an end to months of conflict, and possibly set a policy for future supplementary text selection.

The board is also in the process of reviewing another supplementary text, Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas. A decision on the use of the book is expected sometime in the coming weeks.