Response to customer feedback: (12.8.11)
Some customers have provided feedback indicating that they believe this title has too much foul language, sexual humor and name calling. Amy's response:
I confess that I didn't write a warning for the bad words because I must have just read over them. I've read the book three or four times, and was surprised to find that anyone objected to the language. My freshman year of high school, I heard the f-word multiple times a minute during passing periods, so a book that says the d-word a few times doesn't even register on my radar. And while I personally don't go around saying things like, "You little fart," that, too, doesn't set off warning bells for mature content.
I've skimmed the first six chapters (65 pp) and found the d-word three times and the vulgar word for an illegitimate child four times. There are also rude words ("fart" being the most common, but "turd," "scum," and "moron" have shown up, too).
I am mystified about adolescent sexual humor. I guess one boy comments meanly that another boy's butt wiggles, but that, to me, hardly qualifies as sexual humor. It's in the context of minor bullying, a comment like, "Your nose is red like Rudolph's."
On a rating scale, I would have thought this is a G: no sex.
Language I would say is a PG, as there are no f-bombs, and Wikipedia says a movie is PG-13 with one to four uses.
For violence, it might be as high as PG-13. Ender has two hand-to-hand fights with other violent bullies, both of which end bloodily. All other violence is simulated (video game) or against aliens (also presented on a video screen).
As to why we included this book.... We include classic works of sci fi in our high school Cores: Frankenstein, Brave New World. This is the sci fi for this year. It's an engaging story, by a top tier sci fi author (on one list of "Top 10 Most Influential Sci Fi Authors," Card is listed at number nine: "the author of one of the most popular science fiction series in history. The Ender’s Game sagas rate right up there with Dune as one of the most popular series of books of all time, and certainly the most popular of modern times.... Orson Scott Card is the modern voice that set the direction of modern science fiction.")
So we have the most popular book by a top sci fi author with a book that rates (probably) a PG label.
We certainly can send a warning of some sort to parents. I am sorry that the young man was shaken by the language. (I'm impressed he made it to 13 with so little exposure to rude things!)