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An Exchange with a Minister

M Cluff's letter to Robert Cormier 18 February 1992

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Mr. Cluff a self-identified “Minister of the Gospel” wrote to Cormier, his publisher, and the ALA to protest We All Fall Down (1991) for youth consumption. He strenuously objected to the violence depicted in the novel. He admitted that he had scanned the novel, which is a particular kind of selective reading that does not invite reader engagement or identification with characters.

Letter from Robert Cormier to M. Cluff 24 February 1992

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Cormier’s reply to Mr. Cluff was respectful and sympathetic. He advised Mr. Cluff to carefully read the book “with an open mind” and then talk with his son about the book and the problems it depicts.

RELATED LINK:

“Frequently challenged books of the 21^st century” (A.L.A web page, Nd.).
http://www.ala.org/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10