Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
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SALT LAKE CITY — A South Carolina teacher was suspended after a parent complained about the teacher reading pornographic material to the class.
The teacher was reading Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game," which the parent said, was pornographic. But Card told the Doug Wright Show, the way he understands it, the teacher had also been reading inappropriate material off the Internet to the class. Card believes the parent must have looked at the reading list, saw "Ender's Game," and got upset.
" 'Ender's Game' has been on an evangelical hit list for a long time, for no other reason, but that I'm Mormon," Card said.
Card said he wrote the dialogue in 1984 based on what he was hearing children say to each other when they thought no adults were around, so the book would not have shocked the South Carolina class. He said there is nothing pornographic in the book.
There's nothing in 'Ender's Game' that they are not completely familiar with. These kids are 14 year olds in South Carolina. I know for a fact it is impossible that they aren't hearing those words at least once a week, if not every day.
–Orson Scott Card
"There's nothing in 'Ender's Game' that they are not completely familiar with," Card said. "These kids are 14- year-olds in South Carolina. I know for a fact it is impossible that they aren't hearing those words at least once a week, if not every day."
Card said his book should have nothing to do with the suspension of the teacher. It was the inappropriate material from the Internet that would have contributed to the suspension.
"The other things that the teacher was reading included things that were simply out of place," Card said. "I'm not leaping to the defense of the teacher; he showed very poor judgement. Should he lose his job? Oh c'mon. People should have room to learn."
In 2011, Summit Entertainment signed on to finance the production of the much-anticipated movie. Filming started in Feb. 2012, with the expected release sometime in March 2013.
To hear Card's complete interview on the Doug Wright Show, click HERE.
