School for Scandal

School has begun and the books I have been reading lately all seem to deal with schools and scandals . I recently took the comprehensive exams for my library degree and I have not felt that level of pressure for many years. But for young people in school, the pressures go beyond those of an academic nature. These three books deal with the social pressures, the gossip, the impact of the internet on kids. The books also talk about how these issues affect the lives of the adults involved in their world.

In Testimony by Anita Shreve, the headmaster of a private school, three male students and a young girl each tell their story of a drunken party, a video posted on the internet, an affair between unexpected people and lives that are changed forever. The narration of the story in a so many different voices leaves open questions, that may or may not be answered by the end of the book. This book does not come out for another month but it is affecting and timely and well worth the wait.

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perotta deals with the dangerous combination of religion and education. Ruth Ramsey, the human sexuality teacher at the local high school is forced to teach an abstinence curriculum after parents complain about the content of her course. Tim Mason, one of the evangelical Christian parents who does not approve of Ruth, has troubles of his own. This book shows both the personal and the societal effects of this very timely struggle. Perotta writes so well that you feel you know all the characters.

Carol Goodman's Lake of Dead Languages is a book that explores scandals, both old and new, at a boarding school located in a rural setting. Jane Hudson returns to her old school, along with her young daughter, to teach Latin after a failed marriage. Jane had left Heart Lake School twenty years earlier after a scandal. This haunting story tells of late night rituals, murder and suicide and the secrets a school community can keep over many years.


September has always been a "back to school" time of year with new notebooks, sharpened pencils and shined shoes. While it is easy to romanticize the good old school days, these books remind us that being young is not as carefree as we would like to remember.