Gulf High junior rejects literary masterpiece over moral objections

NEW PORT RICHEY— In the world of literary criticism, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle is considered a modern masterpiece, its best-selling Japanese author Haruki Murakami worthy of the Nobel Prize.

That's why his books have earned a place in the curriculum of the rigorous, college-level International Baccalaureate program that top high school students around the world compete to enter.

But at Gulf High School in Pasco County, those same complex writings that challenge keen minds have created a different type of challenge.

Within his themes of self-identity and post-war Japan, Murakami uses imagery such as phone sex and masturbation so graphic it offended junior Marí Mercado. She refused to read the book, even though it is a key requirement in her IB English course.

The 16-year-old student, who has heard from MIT and Yale said the book conflicts with her morals. Her parents, Rafael and Mindy, support her decision and have asked for an alternative text.

"I'm not saying the book doesn't have its merits," said Mindy Mercado. "We did not say the book needs to be burned or banned."

So far, they've not reached a compromise with Marí's teacher or administrators. They have, however, reached out to the Pasco County School Board with their concerns. And they've sought guidance from the Christian Law Association.

They found support from both fronts.

"I am livid. I am furious," School Board member Kathryn Starkey said on Wednesday after reading the passages that upset the Mercados. "As a parent I would never let my kid read that. It shouldn't be required. If that is a required book, we should change that."

She expressed surprise that more parents had not spoken out against the novel and said she fully backed the Mercados. Starkey asked assistant superintendent Ruth Reilly to look into what options might be available for the family.

Eleven high schools in the Tampa Bay area offer IB programs. Of eight schools contacted on Wednesday, only Gulf High used the Murakami novel. The Times was unable to reach officials at Land O'Lakes, Clearwater Central Catholic and St. Petersburg High. The IB program allowed each school to choose its books from more than 500 titles.

Pasco School Board member Joanne Hurley also supported the Mercados, saying it is their right and responsibility to stay on top of the education of their daughter. She praised them for staying active in Marí's schooling.

"I think they should meet with the principal and find an alternative," Hurley said. "It's unfortunate that this got this far."

The idea of finding an alternative book was at the crux of the Christian Law Association's recommendations to the Mercados.

"The parents do have a right to opt out," said Barbara Weller, an association lawyer based in Seminole.

She said Florida law relating to sex education, as well as accepted standards on religion in school, both state that families should have the right to be excused from materials they deem offensive unless there are specific reasons to not allow it. For instance, Weller cited the example of evolution, which is part of the state's science curriculum and a requirement to graduate.

Weller said the parents could sue over the issue, but figured it would never come to that. She couldn't find a single similar complaint that went to court, because "this is a pretty easy thing to fix."

On that, the American Library Association — the group that tracks book banning — agreed.

When families have concerns over books, they have a right to request an alternative text, said Angela Maycock, assistant director of the group's Office of Intellectual Freedom.

"Schools do have an obligation to be very mindful of the First Amendment rights of their students," Maycock said. "What we advise schools of is, there should be a policy, procedure and process in place … regarding the provision of an alternative. … It does allow families to exercise judgment about what they want for their own children."

That's how other area schools have handled complaints about their IB program material.

Mary Beth Corace, IB coordinator at Palm Harbor University High School in Pinellas, said that when parents raise concerns about books there, the first recommendation is for the parents to read the novels with their children so they can control the conversation. If that fails, the school will allow the student to make another selection, so long as it fits within the lesson plan submitted to the International Baccalaureate Organization.

"That is kind of difficult," Corace said, noting that the curriculum is set well in advance for grading purposes.

Reilly, the Pasco assistant superintendent, said she is having Gulf High principal Steve Knobl reach out to the Mercados today to discuss their options. If they can't reach an agreement, she said, the family can file a formal request to have the novel reviewed for its appropriateness by a committee.

But "the school does not have the ability during the current year to modify the curriculum," Reilly added, noting that Marí's failure to read the book could lead to a lower grade than if she completed it.

This dispute did not go unnoticed in the Internet world, where readers of the story divided into two camps. Many praised the family for sticking to its morals.

Others criticized the family for denying the "real world."

Several Gulf High IB students weighed in, many saying that the book isn't so bad and Marí should have looked past the sex to the real meaning.

Gulf senior Thomas Anderson agreed.

"Those pages, while they do explain graphic sexual scenes, they explain the relationship that Toru goes through in his mind," Thomas said in an interview. "He could not find his own identity. That's what the book is about, finding his own identity. … I think (Marí) would have benefited greatly by reading this book. She could have found her own identity."

Marí said she's quite comfortable with who she is.

And that's someone who doesn't go out of her way to consume materials she finds offensive.

As for the comments that she'll have to face the real world, with all its wrinkles and warts, when she goes to college, she said that might be. But she's not in college now, she observed. And "I'm not going to change my values."

Jeffrey S. Solochek can be reached at solochek@sptimes.com or (813) 909-4614. For more education news, visit the Gradebook at blogs.tampabay.com/schools.