(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted here illegally.)

As I've mentioned here a couple of times before, I've recently become a fairly big fan of movie-friendly author Tom Perrotta; for example, I found his breakthrough 2006 novel Little Children to be a surprisingly complex and subtle look at just what a horrific place the suburbs can be to some people, a stifling environment that squashes all yearning for something beyond the lowest common denominator as thoroughly as a Communist cultural crackdown. Ah, but then I read his latest, 2007's similarly-themed The Abstinence Teacher, and realized something I think I knew all along but that I hadn't wanted to admit to myself; that Perrotta in fact dances on that thin little line between being a good movie-friendly author and a bad one, and that even a small amount of seemingly inconsequential bad decisions on his part concerning character and story will eventually amount to one giant stinker of a book by the end, even with such a book still being 92-percent exactly like the other book that's great and that everyone loves.

Like Little Children, for example, The Abstinence Teacher is also set in a repressive McMansion-happy middle-class suburb in the American Northeast; like Little Children, it's also supposed to be about a subversive sexual tension between people on opposite sides of an arbitrary issue that is arbitrarily important in this gossipy hothouse suburban environment. But see, here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about, because in Little Children Perrotta makes such a relationship work, by making the supposed opposites actually two sides of the same coin; in that book, it makes sense that the former radical-feminist academe and the former frat-boy football hero would have a charged illicit affair, because it was the Kafkaesque environment they were in that brought an end to both their individual hopes and dreams. In his newest book, though, Perrotta tries to use a Fundamentalist Christian church as the catalyst bringing two people from opposite sides of the fence suddenly and unusually together; but in this case such a thing simply doesn't work, because of the church and its actions causing a legitimate rift between anyone who falls on either side of the fence, too big to be overcome in a cutesy romantic way like Perrotta tries to do.

In fact, this is the question I kept coming back to, over and over and over again as I read this novel; of why the main Christian character, former rock star and wicked addict Tim Mason, so thoroughly devotes his life to a cartoonishly evil Evangelical church to begin with. Perrotta tries to explain that it was the church who helped him overcome his addiction, and so Tim feels an irrational fear of falling off the wagon if he were to ever stray from their mustache-twirling neocon activities, but I'm not buying it; I myself am an atheist who's never been through a recovery program, and even I know that there are literally hundreds of politically moderate religious organizations out there designed specifically to help recovering addicts. (This is even a basic precept of the 12 Step Program itself; that the "higher power" at the center of the program isn't necessarily the Christian God, or indeed any personified supernatural being if you don't want it to be.) If I'm a godless heathen and still know all this, it would only be natural that a former addict going through a 12-Step-based recovery would know it all too, and know that he has plenty of alternatives besides sticking around with the Ralph Reed crowd seen here.

In effect it creates this incredibly awkward literary situation for Perrotta to messily have to handle -- a supposedly "nice guy," who you're ultimately supposed to root for, who throughout the book secretly belies his moderate and humanitarian beliefs regarding a wide range of subjects, but who for some inexplicable reason keeps participating in the crazy Moral-Majorityesque antics of this "Tabernacle" group he belongs to, thus providing a convenient form of conflict between him and the liberal Sex Ed teacher who both want to get it on, but can't because of the group's ongoing crusade to not only get her fired but to get an "abstinence-only" educational campaign instituted at the school itself. Ultimately it makes Perrotta just as guilty as network news organizations at presenting an unfair, alarmist portrait of what American faith is actually like -- a world where every citizen is either an abortion-clinic-bombing zealot or a hate-filled Christopher-Hitchens-style "I spit on your puny so-called god" brand of atheist.

The book is full of all kinds of problems like this, where in Little Children he made them work but in The Abstinence Teacher a slight change makes them fail -- take, for example, the way he deftly shows in the first book how surprisingly thrilling an evening football game among middle-aged former athletes can be, while in the newest book he tries to do the same thing with grade-school soccer to dismal effect. In fact, it's almost like Perrotta drew a sketch of Little Children, then used one of those old carbon-copy systems to try to make a copy of it for The Abstinence Teacher. but then had the whole thing blur and smear and get all messy along the way, resulting in something that kinda feels like the former but is definitely not the former, not nearly so in terms of quality and originality. It's a shame to see, after recently becoming such a big fan, and I hope that Perrotta will learn some lessons from this experience; that the literary rules he plays with in his books are subtle ones, ones that deserve to be paid attention to, and that you can't just shoehorn in any idea that might pop into your head ("I know -- I'll do a novel about suburban Fundamentalists!") and expect the formula to work every time. I'll still be reading his books in the future, but will be coming at them now with a much more critical eye.

Out of 10: 3.9 ( )

The baptists move to town turning Ruth Ramsey's life as a parent and sex ed teacher upside down. At the same time Tim Mason struggles with sobriety and his place in evangelical society.

I really enjoyed this novel - a sort of elevated soap opera. The characters were all well-drawn - the story was fresh and compelling. While it isn't a feel-good sort of a book - I found it hard to put down and very readable. I will definitely seek out other novels by this author. ( )

A discomfiting novel in mostly good ways. I was worried because the material could have been handled horribly, portraying Christian beliefs as narrow-minded and Disney-esque. While some of the reasons are incredibly faulty, I still feel it's awful to portray Christians themselves as terribly naive. Overall, I approved of the way Perrotta handles the Christian aspect as well as the sex education dilemma.

Central plot circles the reasons behind preaching abstinence versus sex education to teenagers, where the abstinence argument is based entirely on the Christian perspective. As a high school teacher is forced to reform her sex education class to advocate abstinence in order to receive government funding, the characters learn about the different aspects of Christianity, abstinence, sex, and personal reform in round-about ways.

There is no answer to the question Perrotta poses about abstinance versus true sex education. Instead, the author chooses an easy exit from the plot with a quiet end. A bit disappointing, but rather graceful for the existing characters. ( )

The Abstinence Teacher follows the backlash that occurs when Ruth Ramsay, a sexual education teacher who takes great pleasure in still looking hot in her 40's, states in class that oral sex can be enjoyable for people. Ruth believes that a fully informative sexual education class is imperative, while the rest of her suburban town does not. Conflict ensues. Mostly, the focus in the book is on Ruth and her relationship with Tim, who is her daughter's soccer coach and is a born again Christian and ex-drug addicted rocker, as they engage in a typical on-again off-again, do you like me? circle one: yes or no, relationship.

Oh, Tom Perrota! I wanted to like this book, but I didn't. I loved Little Children, but maybe I just don't get The Abstinence Teacher. I kept waiting for the real book to begin, or the characters to evolve--or even just become realistic. Perrota is a master of suburbia fiction, but he fell short with The Abstinence Teacher. Little Children really delved into each character and their way of life, The Abstinence Teacher simply skimmed the surface of the incredibly timely issue of sexual education and the skirmishes between the political right and left. The basis of the book, which focuses on the controversy between sexual education and religion faith would appear to be chock full of tension and conflict, but Perrota somehow manages to negate most of it by never really fleshing out the arguments for either side of the issues. The reader is left with a glimmer of what the book could have been, and I was left disappointed by a author who is talented enough to truly write a thoughtful book on the subject. Read it, but don't expect to be impressed. ( )

I will be honest. I bought this book, without reading the description, with the hope that it would bash on abstinence only education. But I left confused. Yes, it seems through the main character that Perrota is against abstinence only education. But you can't talk about abstinence only education without bringing in religion and I just couldn't figure out where he stood. In some ways, he seemed to be poking fun at the ridiculous standards that religious zealots ask their followers to uphold, but his treatment of the preacher makes him seem sympathetic to his cause. I wasn't disappointed in the ending, as some were, but I didn't want to stop reading it either. Overall, a good read. I will definitely have to check out more Perrotta! ( )

Straightforward story of people on opposite sides of the ideological fence finding common ground where politics and religion collide. The characters are likable but the minor ones are typecast; you can almost imagine Perrotta casting this novel as a movie as he wrote. I wouldn't call it a nuanced treatment of religion or sexuality, or the least bit intellectual, but I read it over one night and one afternoon and I'll probably think about it more than once. I preferred "Little Children," but this is readable. ( )

This was a great read. I really liked the characters. I was pulled in the whole way. The ending was not very dynamic, but I think that was by choice. It shows that no matter what we believe,our lives are always changing and so those beliefs may change or we may compromise to be happy and/or make our families happy. ( )

This was a really good book. I wasn't sure about it at first, but the librarian suggested it and I couldn't put it down! ( )

Story Overview
Ruth Ramsey is a divorced mother with two daughters who teaches Sex Education ("Health") at the local high school in the affluent town of Stonewood Heights. Ruth is a popular teacher with the students -- known for her candidness, openness and practicality in teaching sex education. But then a newly formed Christian church in town -- Tabernacle -- and its charismatic but aggressive leader, Pastor Dennis, begin protesting Ruth's style of teaching sex ed and file a lawsuit against the school district. Plunged into a controversy she doesn't want and is mortified by, Ruth ends up being forced to teach a new curriculum based on abstinence and sanctioned by the Christian right. Angry but resigned, Ruth half-heartedly teaches the new curriculum under the watchful eye of principal, school superintendent and JoAnn Marlow, the Wise Choices for Teens liaison.

But when Ruth attends her daughter's soccer game, she is furious when the coach (and Tabernacle church member) Tim Mason leads the girls in a post-game prayer. Fed up with the Tabernacle church interfering in her life again, Ruth publicly chastises Coach Mason and begins a crusade to ban prayer from the soccer field. But when Tim stops by to apologize and talk to Ruth, she is startled to find that he isn't quite the person she initially thought.

Tim Mason is a divorced dad who has had a drug and alcohol addiction his whole life. It cost him his marriage, jobs, and custody of his child. But when Pastor Dennis found Tim and offered him a new chance with Jesus at his side, Tim was surprised to find that the Tabernacle church and Christianity is what he has been seeking. Supported by the church community and given a path to follow that keeps him from the temptations that have brought him down before, Tim starts to put his life together. Coaching the soccer team is his attempt to rebuild his relationship with his daughter Abby. He also remarries a fellow Christian from his church, Carrie, and attempts to live a good Christian life.

As Ruth and Tim struggle with their personal demons -- Ruth with loneliness, teaching a curriculum she can't believe in, her daughters' growing interest in Christianity and Tim with his loveless marriage, sobriety and increasing disenchantment with the Church -- they forge a tenuous connection that surprises them both.

My Thoughts
I have a new favorite author and his name is Tom Perrotta! I loved this book. Not only does it tackle hot topics like sex ed, the separation of church and state, religion, spirituality and morality, it does so with a wicked sense of humor. You think and you laugh -- in my mind, the best thing a book can give you. Although Perrotta is often irreverent, he is also not afraid to dig deep into Ruth and Tim's pain. I admire the author's ability to create flawed characters that are also relatable. Ruth and Tim are by no means perfect but that is why I loved them so much. They are purely human.

I love that Perrotta was able to sensitively talk about divisive issues and give both protagonists an opposing viewpoint, but he was able to bring them together in a way that feels natural and believable. Although Perrotta clearly seems to be on the Ruth's "side" as far as politics, he does a wonderful job of presenting the good aspects of Christianity and what it can bring to people's lives. Having the "pro-Christian" character be a former drug addict and rock musician makes Tim's need for the church more believable than if Perrotta had chosen to have Pastor Dennis be Ruth's foil.

I don't usually like to quote blurbs on the backs of books, but I thought the one on this book just captured my feelings so perfectly that I'm going to include it here:

The Abstinence Teacher illuminates the powerful emotions that run beneath the placid surface of modern American family life and explores the complicated spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people. It is elegantly and simply written, characterized by the distinctive mix of satire and compassion that has become Perrotta's trademark.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

My Final Recommendation
Personally, I loved this book and I plan on reading more by this author. However, I could see that this book might not be for everyone. If you feel strongly about certain topics -- such as sex education, homosexuality, Christianity -- you might not feel comfortable reading this book as it is often irreverent about these topics and challenges some of the typical Christian belief systems. (In other words, it definitely slants more toward the left than the right!) But if you are looking for a thought-provoking read that is well-written and has a wicked sense of humor, this book is for you! ( )

I was really excited to read this book. I got into it immediately but my interest soon fizzled. The characters were stereotypical and while there were certainly enjoyable aspects, overall I was disappointed with the predictability of the story. The ending felt incomplete and left me completely unsatisfied. ( )

I found this book to be terribley annoying. Perhaps it is meant to be a parody or satire - but the "born-again" self-righteousness turned me off. ( )

Funny book about the conflict between Christian evangelism/ abstinence and pro-sex feminism. I find that Perrotta's books are shallow but entertaining with great character development. That's probably why they get turned into movies!

Excellent book for group discussion! Ethical questions will take you all over the political spectrum. ( )

I flew through the sexual nuances of religion and suburbia’s affect on society in The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta. At times funny and at others, very controversial and direct, this one was a winner for me, all around. ( )

I really enjoyed Perrotta's snapshot of the impact of religion on two people's lives. One question I am left with is whether the book is seeking to make a point about the validity of religion. I don't think so. I think the book is making the point that whether you are religious or not should be a personal choice and that no-one should have religion or religious morals forced down their throat e.g. the abstinence teaching at school. Excellent and funny. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. I had read mixed reviews. I found the juxtaposition of fanatic religion and anti-religion to be interesting. While I tended to relate more to Ruth, a sex education teacher who is forced to adhere to a strict abstinence focused program, I at times was frustrated with how close minded she was. I enjoyed reading the parts about Ruth more than the parts about Tim. I found Tim to be bland and seemingly without much personality. I suppose that it might be on purpose to show how fanatic religion has taken over Tim's personality and he doesn't quite know who he is anymore. I just found it funny that both sides were evenly close minded. Overall, this book is easy to read because the characters draw you in. I give is 4 out of 5 stars. ( )

I loved this book at the start and couldn't put it down. The characters are engaging and real. Perrotta develops his characters well and gives them real life flaws that help define them on the page. As I read, I felt the plot fell a little flat. I was interested in the main characters' struggles, but they took a back seat by the end and weren't totally resolved. I like books that are open ended, but this ending was a bit unsatisfying. I am still trying to figure out if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Overall, intriguing and interesting, a book that does raise a lot of questions about sex ed and religion in the community. ( )

Not a big fan of this book but because I was listening to it in the car, I did see it through to the end. Sad "love" story about 2 damaged unhappy people. Certainly not uplifting by any means

This book started strong and then I became bored. Just not my cup of tea! ( )

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/... ( )

Hilarious as always, especially the banter of the gay couple, who are best friends of the recently divorced heroine. I bet someone's writing a screenplay already.

Ruth is the embattled sex ed teacher, confronted with teaching an abstinence curriculum. Then there's another fanatical Christian (or is he?), Tim, who is coaching her daughter's soccer team, struggling with addiction recovery. And is Ruth a bit attracted to him, of all people?

I don't know if Perrotta quite pulls off writing from the woman's POV but he's better than Nick Hornby: he realizes the importance of clothes, how women are always second-guessing whether this is the right thing for the occasion. Where he fails: what about Ruth's first sexual encounter with the fat boy next door? What did he look like to her?

Then what is Ruth's belief or value system? What was she brought up with? There are hints, as when she and one of the gay pals reacted to the other gay guy's ho-hum response to being molested by a priest at 13. Does she ever say to her students, especially the girls: "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do"? or "Here's what to say or do.'

Also strangely absent, since Ruth has adolescent and pre-adolescent daughters, is the constant cacophony of music and popular culture telling kids that sex is the most fun in the world/all their peers are doing it/why aren't they? I don't know how the Christian groups address that either.

I kept expecting that it was going to hit her: "Wait a minute, I want to protect or isolate my girls a bit from this wave. How can I do that?"

I bet Perrotta has sons, not daughters.

However, then there's the Tim character. It takes a long time to get a close look at him. We see him from knee-jerk-liberal Ruth's view for so long. Then Perrotta deftly rounds him out.

The cool rocker in youth can so easily become the addict failure. Or dead in his own vomit at age 25. You can see, as Tim describes it, how for a recovering addict, his new church substitutes for all those feelings of camaraderie and community that used to come with the musician lifestyle. Note his explanation to Ruth about how he automatically led a prayer of thanks when his soccer team won: Praying is like breathing for him.

Then there's the description of services at his church, through Tim's eyes. Quite a mixture of people here, including a black woman who turns out to be a natural singer, pushing their soft rock band in a more soulful direction, which changes the behavior of the congregation and draws in more African-Americans. Tim and other members of this (evangelical?) church probably rub shoulders and trade off babysitting duties with a more cosmopolitan group of friends than Ruth does. She does the lip service, but Tim and his congregation are doing the actions.

Perrotta does something similar when he describes Tim's attitudes about gay men. There was that fellow pothead in college: when the man revealed himself, Tim was unable to keep up the friendship, though he tried. Doubtless other members of the congregation share views that don't square neatly with their pastor's.

In short, I think it's Tim's character that indelibly separates the real novelist from bloggers (especially the personal ones of academics), chick lit writers, HuffPo, 99% of Web commenters, politicians, name-callers, mudslingers, stereotypers, Christopher Hitchens, etc. Perrotta has a much more expansive view of humanity. If he started out with some pretty simple views of born-again Christians--and the professional virginity consultant character leads us on that path--he went out and met a few. He knows that people are more complicated than their reputations. ( )

The Abstinence Teacher is about families and their lives and struggles in modern day America.

This novel covers a huge scope ranging from what's right and wrong, what you believe in and what you don't, and what your religion means to you and how far you might go to defend it. We visit what it is to be a single parent, how divorce can affect a family, and how addiction can rule your life even in recovery.

The characters in this novel draw you into their lives, some more than others. For me, I really liked Ruth who is a high school Sex Ed teacher struggling with teaching a new program of abstinence to her students. It's made difficult for her because you can't properly teach what you don't believe in. For Ruth, she believes in being as honest and truthful with her students as she can-to make sure they're prepared for the real world. Her issues in class start because of students that belong to a new church group in the area bringing up concerns with her teaching style. She's then forced into this new curriculum and she's angry. Then we've got Tim, a man who used to be into drugs and alcohol but who has turned his life over to God to be saved. He is also one of the soccer coaches for Ruth's young daughter Maggie. Tim's character is very likeable because the author takes you through the struggles Tim had to get to where he is and how now God helps him hold it together even though Tim is beginning to question his faith a bit-he's a very real character.

The event that sets things off is when Tim brings prayer to the playing field. After a game when his daughter is hurt and Tim is just grateful she's ok, he's overwhelmed and starts to pray with the girls. Ruth, not believing in God, is extremely horrified and angry. She tells him he has no right to do that with her daughter and proceeds to try to get Tim removed from the team. However, they meet to talk and somehow a spark of friendship begins to grow between them.

I did enjoy this book and it kept my interest. For fans of Tom Perrotta I'm sure they'll love it. It's a good, easy read. It touches on a lot of touchy subjects and I did appreciate the way the author handles this.

You can read more about the book and purchase it here. The trade paperback was released today by Random House Canada. You can also visit Tom Perrotta's website here.

http://peekingbetweenthepages.blogspo... ( )

Boring and I was so aggravated by the representation Perrotta gave the pastor. ( )

I enjoyed this book right up to the end, but I felt that it kind of fizzled in the last chapters. Sex complicates people's lives, and when sex, education, and religion are thrown together, there is often no easy, or even right, answer. Tom Perotta takes on the issue of abstinence-only sex education in an intricate novel in which every character is both realistic and inherently flawed. ( )