Editor,

This great City of Carmel lost its way on the evening of June 10, 2024.

Do we still agree that adults are charged with protecting minors from harm and indecency?

Do we still agree that there are some books like “All Boys Aren’t Blue” that just are not age-appropriate and should not be brought into school libraries? Do we all still agree that minor-aged children should not be exposed to alcohol, drugs and pornography?

Our school librarians used to carry the mantle of “protecting our minors from harmful books” with dignity. Something has changed, and we now find books on the shelves of the school libraries that never used to be there.

I think a grave mistake was made by the librarian who brought this book in, and I think a bigger mistake was made when three members of the school board voted to keep it.

What do you think, Carmel? If you aren’t sure, I recommend you check the book out and read it. It’s the second most contested book in the United States.

What kind of a society are we trying to create? Book Looks rates books on sexual content. This book got a review of 4 out of 5, meaning it’s not intended for anyone under 18. We have 13-year-olds in the high school.

This book has 13 pages of very graphically detailed sex acts. How many pages are required that it then meets a legal criteria to not be in the schools? Not to mention Indiana is an abstinence state. That means by law we are to teach abstinence. Books like this are not in continuity with this law.

Anyone with a sense of decency and takes protecting minors seriously should agree to have this book set aside and not within arm’s reach of children.

Joe Evert, Carmel