High School Parents Debate Appropriateness of Pulitzer-Winning Book

West Essex High School parents Monday debated the appropriateness of an acclaimed—and some say “vulgar”—book assigned to a tenth grade English class.

One high school parent said that Junot Díaz’s “The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning work of fiction that details the life and familial and historical context of a Dominican boy growing up in Paterson, contains content and language inappropriate for high schoolers, according to newjerseyhills.com.

Teenage students overheard discussing the literary work in a hallway would likely be sent to the principal’s office, the parent said.

Another parent stepped up to defend the book, saying that while the language is strong, the story is powerful and the book is a “brilliant piece of art,” according to The Progress.

School officials declined comment, the website reported. 

Díaz, 45, is a Dominican-born, American-educated novelist, short story writer and 2012 MacArthur Fellow who teaches at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.