Controversy in Champaign continues over 'Kite Runner' novel

CHAMPAIGN – In her 35 years of teaching, Pat Johnson has had to defend to the school board a choice of reading assignment only once before now.

It was 20 years ago, and the book was "A Separate Peace." Johnson, an English teacher and the English department chairwoman at Central High School, defended the novel by talking about its themes of betrayal, guilt, sin and redemption – "all of these values that are so important for people to understand," she said.

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