Book Buzz @Bentley

What the Reviewers Have to Say

This book has received mixed reviews. Some sources like Michiki Kakutani writing for The New York Times’ Books of the Times and the staff who reviewed the novel at Kirkus Reviews have been enthusiastic, while others like Alan Cheuse on NPR’s All Things Considered (listen to the audio here) and Benjamin Alsup for Esquire both criticize Perrotta’s writing and recommend waiting for the movie. Perrotta’s previous works Election and Little Children have both been made into movies. The movie adaptation of The Abstinence Teacher is already underway for 2008.

While I did enjoy the novel’s fun presentation and undertaking of the highly controversial debate on the current state of sex education in public schools, I found myself less impressed with the writing and felt the characters in Perrotta’s book were not convincing.

Colleen Mullally, reference librarian, Bentley College Library

From the Publisher

Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise children, but amid its good schools and healthy real estate market, a small-town culture war is brewing. The Abstinence Teacher focuses on two divorced parents who become adversaries in the mess: Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school who believes that “pleasure is good, shame is bad, and knowledge is power.” Her younger daughter’s soccer coach is Tim Mason, a former stoner and rocker whose response to hitting rock bottom was to reach out and be saved. Ruth and Tim instinctively distrust one another, but when a controversy on the playing field forces the two of them to actually talk to each other, an uneasy friendship begins to develop. Elegantly written and with Perrotta’s distinctive mix of satire and compassion, The Abstinence Teacher illuminates the powerful emotions that run beneath the placid surface of modern American family life, and explores the complicated spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people.

Are Tom Perrotta’s Books (and Movies Based on Those Books) Available at the Library?

Our library catalog record for Tom Perrotta will clue you in on Tom Perrotta’s novels and the movies based on those books and will let you see what’s available right now.

Learn More About the Author and His Works

• Listen: hear a brief excerpt of the book and an interview with Perrotta about his books on NPR’s The Bryant Park Project (read the transcript, available from LexisNexis Academic); hear an interview with Perrotta about The Abstinence Teacher on NPR’s Day to Day (read the transcript, available from LexisNexis Academic); hear a review of the book on NPR’s All Things Considered (read the transcript, available from LexisNexis Academic).
• Watch: view the movie trailer based on Tom Perrotta’s book Little Children; view the movie trailer based on Tom Perrotta’s Election
• Read: check out Tom Perrotta’s official website for information on the author and his books.

“Just Say No” Sex Education in Schools

Do abstinence-only programs discourage teen sex? This is the issue discussed in a September 2005 report entitled “Teen Sex” from CQ Researcher. In addition to providing an overview and background into sex education programs, the report includes a Pro-Con debate around the issue of whether the federal government should fund comprehensive sex education in public schools. Conservatives have criticized past government spending on sex education programs (see “What to Tell the Children” National Review, September 2000), while liberals are concerned about the impact of abstinence-only education in schools (see “Sex, Lies, and Politics” Nation, May 2001). This controversial subject around which Perrotta’s most recent novel is centered has been examined widely by the media and the federal government. Recent television shows such as Boston Legal (this season’s episode: “The Chicken and the Leg” script) and newspapers like USA Today (with articles including “Abstinence-only fails to stop early pregnancies, diseases” from July 2007) have brought public attention to the issues. And last year Congress’ General Accounting Office released a report “Abstinence Education: Efforts to Assess the Accuracy and Effectiveness of Federally Funded Programs” (summary | highlights page in PDF | full report in PDF | full report in plain HTML) which found that efforts by the Department of Health and Human Services and individual states to assess the scientific accuracy of materials used in abstinence-until-marriage education programs have been limited.

Want to learn more about the Abstinence Education Division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Families and Youth Services Bureau? Information on the programs, resources, and funding is available on their website.