I had the same thought.. I’m in Canada and I don’t know anyone who was actually assigned this book in class. I wonder how common it is in US curriculum. Either way, I’m glad to see someone writing a response to the slew of articles on this, which were by far the most appalling thing I’ve ever seen on this platform.

Another issue I have is these articles’ immediate dismissal of other peoples hardships just because they don’t look or act or arent brought up in the exact same way as them.

Educators should be teaching students that we have something to learn from every story, however seemingly “irrelevant” it is to our own lives. That’s the point of storytelling. Most books are “irrelevant” — imagine refusing to read something just because the characters in it — whether real or fiction — aren’t just like you. I personally wouldn’t have anything to read at all. Above all, stories help us make sense of the world.