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Mr. Burleson and Board Members:

After a brief conversation with Mr. Burleson he suggested I send you some information pertinent to

the Kite Runner and the pending decision about its continued use.

I would like to begin by establishing my bona fides. I have 26 years of experience teaching

Language Arts on all levels24 of those years at Freedom High School. I have a BA and an MA in English

with a concentration in literature and writing. I have a Masters in Teaching certification with a strength in

curriculum design and I am a Nationally Board Certified teacher. I have taught summer school for over 20 years

helping students find success instead of failure. I have taught on-line through Cumberland County. I helped

design the Honors Curriculum that we currently use and have been Department Chair and de facto Curriculum

Advisor for over 14 years. I served on the Governors Testing Commission for seven years helping design the

first wave of End-of Course tests. I am currently on the Senior Project/Graduation Project Group that recently

mandated that all seniors in North Carolina must complete a 4-part Senior Project (a project we at Freedom

have been successfully working with for 14 years and Freedom is also the centerpiece for the states

instructional CD which all counties now have as a major reference). I have had responsibility for supplemental

and textbook orders for longer than 14 years as I was given that responsibility when I first came to Freedom.

Every single supplemental text that we use has been coordinated by myself in conjunction with other

professionals as the curriculum needs and requirements grew over the years. I am currently not only the

Language Arts Department Chair, but I am also the Senior Project Coordinator and the Attendance Dean.

Pertaining to the Kite Runner: we followed a long established process that included research, state

and federal mandates, usages of the novel by other organizations (i.e.; other educational districts, AP tests from

the College Board (it was cited as a work of Merit on the last AP Literature Testa test a large number of

students locally and nationwide take for potential college credit), other professional educators opinions,

professional review organizations, etc.). I greatly take exception to comments that we use novels in a haphazard

fashion; that we are mind-rapers, ultra liberal fascist communists, purveyors of pornography, and other illiterate

illogical, uninformed, and idiotic examples of invective. As a matter of fact, the first time I became aware of the

Kite Runner as a possible novel to use in 10th grade world literature was at a conference sponsored by the North

Carolina department of Public Instruction where several of us heard a presentation about possible novels that

would be very useful when it came to teaching the standard course of study and very applicable for writing

prompts from the 10th grade writing test. The presenter for Kite Runner was a retired military man who had

done a tour of duty in Afghanistan. He spoke so passionately about the books quality and power that several of

us decided to read the book. His points included powerful personal evidence about what had happened (Russian

invasion) and what was then happening in Afghanistan (Taliban extremism) along with the main characters

pitiable choices and dilemmas that we came away pretty sure we wanted to use this book. Teachers then read

the book and began a search for peripheral teaching materials which there proved to be an abundance of. After

looking at all aspects of the book, we decided to purchase a classroom set. We found the book listed (with no

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warning disclaimers) in every major high school book catalog and wrote the B-1 to purchase. We had to share

the book due to only being able to purchase 1 classroom set, and Mr. Martins Honors level class was the first

class to complete the novel. The book was very successful. The students were engaged and every single one of

them wrote glowing essays about the books power. I repeat, ALL students liked the book and we had NO

parental complaints. The first inkling we had of a problem occurred when I was called in by an assistant

principal and asked about reading about rape and writing about hell. It seems that Mr. Burleson had

forwarded a complaint by a parent(s) made directly to a board member about several of our literary works. I toldmy principal that were we indeed doing the Kite Runner and we were also working on excerpts from Dantes

Inferno, a portion of his Divine Comedy, a work about moral edification. This parent(s) never went to the

teacher, to me, to Freedom High School, or to Mr. Burleson which is the pattern normal people would follow.

Had they complained to the teacher, and it surely would then come to me, we would have found an alternate

work for the studentsomething we have done several times in the past. I myself had a student about 17 years

ago whose parents did not wish her to read Macbeth by Shakespeare. I found her an alternate work. Had these

parents complained to the teacher first, we would have found an alternate for their child. We then proceed to a

School Board meeting where the book was challenged and the rest most of you know.

Any work of literature can be found wanting if the naysayers wish to attack. I ask that you trust the

professionalism of your childs teachers. There is always a place for questions to be asked, but if the brief

brutality of a scene from Kite Runner is going to cause an outcry for censorshipa word I truly believe to be

obsceneand if a small minority are allowed to prevail, what's to stop ALL learning about distasteful aspects of

life and history? Should we keep students from being able to learn about the holocaust or even the horrors of

9/11? These horrible events occurred, along with a thousand fold others. They are still occurring as we speak.

Hiding them from young adults will not make them go away. By the way, the only place I can find where KiteRunner (the film) is banned is in Afghanistan and this is due to fear of reprisals from Taliban extremists. They

have also banned Kite running as it has come to be a symbol of protest against the Taliban extremism. I would

suggest that these two facts by themselves make Kite Runner worthy of reading. Just as recently as last week we

had one of our Freedom English teachers, Tim Fossett, receive an invitation to be an AP essay reader/scorer and

he is currently in Kentucky helping score this years National AP tests in Literature and Language. He e-mailed

me Saturday telling me that the Kite Runner is one of the most popular essay topics in this years test set. The

Kite Runner is ultimately a novel about freedom, about the fragile relationship between fathers and sons,

humans and their best friends, men and their countries. It is a story about betrayal and guilt, love and the loss ofinnocence. It is a story about bullying and finally standing up to stop oppression; a pretty hot topic since the

tragedy at Columbine; and finally, this story teaches us, in profound ways, what it means to find redemption.

Please allow us to use it.

Attached find only a portion of the list of Reviewers of the novel since 2003

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Not one of them is negative:

USA Today

People

Chicago Tribune

New York Times Book Review

Washington Post

Newsday

The Denver Post

Entertainment Weekly

The New York Times

San Antonio Express

Buffalo News

Houston Chronicle

Iowa City Press

Wall Street Journal

Kirkus Reviews

Library Journal

American Library Association

And many, many more

Thank You very much for your consideration in this matter

Randal Garrison

FHS Language Arts Department Chair