The Abstinence Teacher (edition 2007)

by Tom Perrotta

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2,206	117	7,150	(3.4)	66
Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school. Her daughter's soccer coach, Tom Mason, is a former bad boy who hit rock bottom and was saved. Now a member of the local evangelical Christian church that sees Ruth Ramsey and her sex ed classes as a target, the two become bitter adversaries. But when controversy on the soccer field forces them to actually talk to each other, an uneasy friendship begins to develop.… (more)

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Member:	mrstreme
Title:	The Abstinence Teacher
Authors:	Tom Perrotta
Info:	St. Martin's Press (2007), Hardcover, 368 pages
Collections:	Your library
Rating:
Tags:	NYT Notable, Religious Fiction

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The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

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Books Set in Massachusetts (10)

Books Read in 2007 (142)

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A teacher gets tasked with teaching sex ed - but not really teaching it. (

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autumnesf | Feb 4, 2023 |

I couldn't get past the first meeting in the story. The first day of school. The subject just made me too mad to even keep reading. I guess I'm not ready for this yet. I'll try again later.

Carmentalie | Jun 4, 2022 |

I put off reading this book because I couldn't stomach the tension of reading some "current controversy", tense and depressing book, a la Jodi Poucault. I ended up reading it as an alternative to all the lengthy history books on my bedside table. It was far lighter than I expected, and very hard to put down. I read it in about 24 hours. It has been criticized for being stereotypical--of evangelical Christians, and of gays--and for not being as well-developed as other Perrotta novels, but it definitely demonstrates his ability to draw readers in, and I'll seek out more of his books, with less trepidation! (

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jlbhorejsi | Jan 5, 2022 |

I really enjoyed listening to this audiobook about real characters dealing with real problems including sex, relationships, religion, and more. Very absorbing; many laugh-out-loud and "no way!" moments. Highly recommended. (

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stephkaye | Dec 14, 2020 |

Listened to this book and really enjoyed it. Raised lots of interesting questions. Would be a good discussion book. Both people trapped by their situations, seems to have a happy ending but ???? (

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klandring | Nov 8, 2020 |

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thingScore 25

What a movie it will be: Divorced suburban mother of two fights the Tabernacle crazies who have taken over her school.

The problem is that while Perrotta's novels may make for good movies, they don't make for very good books.

added by Shortride | editEsquire, Benjamin Alsup (Oct 5, 2007)

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Awards

Paterson Fiction Prize (Winner – 2008)

Distinctions

New York Times bestseller (Fiction – 2007)

The New York Times Notable Books of the Year (Fiction & Poetry – 2007)

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Stonewood Heights, Massachusetts, USA (fictional U.S. suburb)

Massachusetts, USA

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Epigraph

And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin; it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
--The Gospel of Mark

Dedication

For Joe Gordon

First words

On the first day of Human Sexuality, Ruth Ramsey wore a short lime green skirt, a clingy black top, and strappy high-heeled sandals, the kind of attention-getting outfit she normally wouldn't have worn on a date--not that she was going on a lot of dates these days--let alone to work.

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In terms of the misery they'd spared humanity over the years--the unwanted pregnancies, the horrible diseases, the disrupted young lives--she would have happily placed the humble rubber right up there beside antibiotics and childhood vaccines in the pantheon of Public Health marvels of the Modern World.

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(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)

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The Abstinence Teacher

▾Book descriptions

Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school. Her daughter's soccer coach, Tom Mason, is a former bad boy who hit rock bottom and was saved. Now a member of the local evangelical Christian church that sees Ruth Ramsey and her sex ed classes as a target, the two become bitter adversaries. But when controversy on the soccer field forces them to actually talk to each other, an uneasy friendship begins to develop.

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