Lamb

Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal - by Christopher Moore - is one of those books that I'm not sure I'm going to get my kids. I've listed others here - but they were made up. Books such as Harold and the Purple Thing. Snow White and the Seven Vertically Challenged Persons.

My son will head over to a former schoolteacher in whom he has found in her son a best friend. She, however, has voted with her feet in regard to school systems. My state being 49th out of the union in educational rank - If I were a teacher I'd probably consider homeschooling.

The head of the homeschooling association in her neighborhood, and the person she works with - is the evangelical wife of a college math professor. I had the pleasure of going on a cub scout campout with them once. It was great up until we got to the point where the kids tried to explain that erosion doesn't exist because God reshapes the mountains.

It was at that point that I decided to opt for sending my children into the same school system that I went through. It turned out to be a good choice. My son's first grade teacher was a triathlete working on her graduate degree in childhood education. We'd do a parent teacher conference, then trade notes. His last teacher, before he entered the rarefied atmosphere of his current and somewhat elite school - was sensitive, and clever - she would email parents throughout the week as to what was going on. She was also my daugther's teacher. I am happy with the way things ultimately turned out.

But this is the same school system that received immense pressure from a local parent's association to remove the word 'evolution' from their textbooks. They were quietly opposed by an equally political force. Namely, myself. It helped that I was friends with the librarian. And it also helped that I kept my name out of the hat when it was time to draw for who will stand in the limelight. It allowed me to be a part of my community and at the same time becoming a lightning rod for a christian conservative movement that relies increasingly upon political theatre and less upon sound policy - to accomplish their social aim.

I wonder if I would include this book on the list of those that would be greenlighted for the library. I guess this is what makes me an independent. The jury's out on Biff.

You will never guess where I found this book.