Abstinence Teacher

by Tom Perrotta

Book Overview

The Abstinence Teacher illuminates the powerful emotions that run beneath the placid surface of modern American family life, and explores the complicated spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people. It is elegantly and simply written, characterized by the distinctive mix of satire and compassion that has become Tom Perrotta's trademark.

Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise children: it's got good schools, solid...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312363540
• ISBN13: 9780312363543
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: St. Martins Press-3PL
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.4" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

You have to read between the lines

To all those people who gave this book a low rating, I don't think you get it. Yes, it starts out a bit like a formulaic story with stereotypical characters. If you are just in it for that, you might be disapointed that the ending is not formulaic and the plot is not tied up neatly in a little bow. And, although Perrota has a bold style of writing on hot-button issues of the day, most of the answers are not spelled out for the reader. You have to look a little deeper. Unlike a lot of other reviewers, I found the ending to be quite satifying. I thought the characters were dynamic and changed throughout the course of the novel. Yes, the novel brought up a lot of qustions - maybe more questions than answers, but I like it because it made me develop my own opinions on some of these cultural issues. Ruth says something off hand in class, and to her surpise the community is outraged. The community also become outraged at something Tim says/does on the soccer field. These characters, their words, actions and opposing viewpoints are juxtaposed throughout the story. I think the book underscores the power of words and what can happen if they are said in the wrong place or at the wrong time. (And yet, at the same time takes a good look at how some people can overeact to something said, or misinterpret a person's sincere intentions.) (For those people who don't see the purpose of the characters Randall and Gregory -- their conflict is also about what is said or not said about their relationship, and the effect these words have on their feelings for each other.) I do think that Tim changes a great deal throughout the novel. His actions are very selfish in the begining. Near then end, although confused about his relationships -- with his wife, his pastor, Ruth and Jesus - he starts to think for himself, make his own decisions, and think about the feelings and needs of other people. (like how his friends will get home from the Faith Keeper's meeting if he leaves with the car.) He stops following the script for being a "stoned rocker" or a "born again zealot" but starts being himself. One reviewer wondered why Perrotta decided to name the book after Ruth. I don't think he did. Who is the abstinence teacher? Ruth? Pastor Dennis? JoAnn Marlow? It could be a number of characters... and abstinence can mean abstaining from more than just sex. Like abstaining from judgement. I think Perrotta did a good job with this book. As he did in Little Children, he provided an interesting, entertaining story -- a satire of suburbia -- that causes you to question not only the character's beliefs but take a good look at your own.

Are the Moral Right, right?

This deeply thoughtful book seemingly raises this premise, but deftly Tom Perrota objectively lets the reader be the judge by displaying multi-layered considerations. Ruth, a 40 something Sex Education teacher, is angered when the school system gives into an "Abstinence is Best" curriculum. The job that she once held in esteem seems hypocritical and illogical. Because of the pressures brought on by the religious right, the school panders to the loud voices of a few in order to keep peace among the many. Tim, a former drug addict, finds assistance in rendering his life to Christ Jesus. Battling inner demons appears easier with Christ than without him. However, his church of choice is run by a man who views himself King of his congregation, demanding followers to adhere to his mandates fully. Tim is fearful of his pastor and all the dogma pushed at him as quickly and potently as drugs were. Ruth and Tim cross paths at a soccer game. Tim is the coach of Ruth's youngest daughter's team. After a jubilant victory, Tim begins a prayer with the team to the vexing chagrin of Ruth. Thus begins the conflict that ignites the story. I respect books that offer all sides of a story allowing it's reader to form opinions. Perotta's divisional prose is well researched. I read the actions of both parties(and the people that were important in their lives) with keen interest. Acerbic wit and relatable situations keeps this story from bogging. What will happen next and at what point the precipice will be crossed, keeps the reader reading with an amazing pace. Excellent read. By the by, I am a Christian who loves Jesus with all her heart. I was not offended by this book; instead it helped me allay some of my concerns about zealot behavior on both sides of this issue.

Another compelling read from an immensely talented novelist

I think few writers today mix poignancy and humor as well as Tom Perrotta does. From other reviews, you can guess the general outline of the story. A health education teacher, Ruth Ramsey, gets in trouble for making a casual comment in defense of oral sex ("Some people enjoy it.") That brings the wrath of the religious right in her town, and she is forced to teach a class advocating abstinence only, scaring her students into believing the only outcomes that can come from premarital sex are unwanted pregnancies or wretched diseases. While she struggles with her integrity, she meets the coach of her daughter's soccer team, Tim, an ex-alcoholic and member of the Christian church that protested against her former teaching methods. Before she realizes who he is, she becomes attracted to him. The novel is told from the shifting viewpoints of Ruth and Tim. As can be expected from the author of LITTLE CHILDREN, Perrotta does an amazing job of getting inside the heads of these two very different characters, and Tim in particular. He is a former party-hound, who is trying very hard to reform himself and lead a good life amidst all the temptations the modern world presents - including a sexy ex-wife, who likes to stay in her revealing pajamas on the mornings he's scheduled to drop off their daughter. There are some laugh-out-loud moments here. A scene at a men's bonding group in a major auditorium is particularly good, as is the hysterical male banter between a bunch of guys who invite Tim to join their poker game. When Ruth has to go to a "re-education" camp to teach her how to the toe the party abstinence line, she makes an impassioned defense of living a life full of regrets and mistakes, essentially realizing it's the only way to feel alive. I especially enjoyed the scenes on the soccer field. Perrotta is particularly adept at writing sports scenes. After reading about the pick-up football games in LITTLE CHILDREN, I wanted to go out and play myself. He does a similarly excellent job here at catching the nuances and rhythm of soccer. It's quite amazing to read all the specific details that Tim must keep in mind about each of his players during the flow of each game. I'm surprised that anyone had any complaints with the ending. Without giving it away, I will say the ending makes perfect sense to me. Tim reaches a point in his life where he has to make a critical decision, and it's quite clear what the decision will be and what the implications will be for him and the other people in his life. Even the characters who are less conflicted than Ruth and Tim -- such as the pastor who leads Tim's church and is determined to save his soul -- are told with Perrotta's trademark humor and insight, making them intrigiuing and sympathetic even as they pursue their single-minded goals. I hope that Perrotta will revisit these characters at some point in the future. I'd love to see where Ruth and Tim are five years down the road. If you like reading about the com

"The real lesson of the past isn't that I made some mistakes, it's that I didn't make nearly enough

If you're picking up a Tom Perrotta novel there are a few things you can be sure to expect. First and foremost is Perrotta's signature wit - fiercely intelligent, unsparing, and laugh-out-loud funny, the kind of dead-on satire that most writers can only aspire to. Secondly, a cast of disaffected characters, usually adults in a state of arrested development. These emotional time bombs propel the plot along with the help of feature number three: a moral quandary to act as a catalyst for their unraveling. Election had its unethical campaign practices, Little Children: A Novel the double whammy of adultery and how to react to the town's newest resident (a convicted pedophile), and "The Abstinence Teacher" tackles religious fanaticism in small town America. It all starts with four little words. When Ruth Ramsey, a divorced sexual education teacher, responds to a question regarding oral sex by commenting that "some people like it," she finds herself at the center of a religious firestorm demanding that the school district replace the traditional sex-ed class with abstinence-only lessons supervised by `virginity consultant' JoAnn Marlow, an imperious virgin who is as much of a shrewd businesswoman as she is a devoutly religious woman. It's a trend that's been gaining momentum in Ruth's hometown of Stonewood Heights ever since the evangelical Tabernacle of the Gospel Truth came to town after its leader, Pastor Dennis, decided that his previous church had become too permissive and lax when it came to taking a moral stance on issues (his first act? Trying to have books like Judy Blume's classic "Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret" banned from the local library). Now Ruth is trapped teaching a curriculum that she believes is unrealistic, ineffective, and patently dishonest in its use of skewed statistics to warn her students about the dangers of contraceptives and STDs. The Tabernacle is cleaning up Stonewood Heights, "as if this sleepy bedroom community was an abomination unto the Lord, Sodom with good schools and a twenty-four hour supermarket." And woe be to anyone who gets in their way ... But while abstinence education is the catalyst for the novel's events, it is a debate over team prayer at youth soccer games that forms the true arc of the plot as it brings Ruth into conflict with Tim Mason, her daughter's soccer coach and a follower of Pastor Dennis. Until recently, Tim's life was a certified mess. A former musician and perpetual addict, Tim lost everything - jobs, friends, even his family - to his pursuit of his next fix. Stints with sobriety never lasted until he met Pastor Dennis. Now religion is Tim's livelihood, and he is terrified of where he would be without it. Devotion isn't easy, and temptations (including Ruth Ramsey) are ever-present, so it will not be easy for Tim to stay on the straight and narrow ... As usual, Perrotta refuses to add his own two cents to the debate, preferring to remain impartial and allow the re

"If it upsets people to hear the truth, so be it."

Ruth Ramsey has been teaching Health and Family Life (Sex Education) to teenagers for more than ten years. Her credo is: "Pleasure is Good, Shame is Bad, and Knowledge is Power." She tries to demystify sex by giving her students the information they need to live fulfilling and healthful lives. Unfortunately, some candid remarks that she makes in class offend a student whose parents worship in an evangelical congregation. Ruth's open and frank approach to sexuality is incompatible with the Christian family values that have taken root in the increasingly conservative "sleepy bedroom community" of Stonewood Heights. Ruth's supervisors insist that she adopt a new curriculum in which abstinence, rather than safe sex, is promoted. In "The Abstinence Teacher," Tom Perrotta focuses his analytical and satirical eye on the mores of suburban life, with a fresh and timely twist: How does a community react when fundamentalist Christians try to impose their views on their fellow residents? When soccer coach Tim Mason prays with his team after a game, Ruth, whose daughter Maggie is a star player, is enraged. How dare anyone try to brainwash her daughter? Mason is a musician, former addict, and recovering alcoholic who found salvation in the Tabernacle of the Gospel Truth, presided over by Pastor Dennis; Tim now lives a staid life with his submissive wife, Carrie. Dennis is elated that Tim is proselytizing among young people; however, some townspeople contend that it is inappropriate to conduct prayer sessions with impressionable teenagers without parental approval. Stonewood Heights is about to experience a confrontation in which ardent churchgoers, who are anti-evolution, pro-censorship, and against what they perceive to be "godlessness and moral decay," clash with those who cherish their right to reject religion. Perrotta's central characters are flawed and vulnerable individuals. Ruth is intensely lonely. In spite of the fact that she is a forty-something woman who is still attractive, she has not had a long-term romantic relationship since her divorce. Mason left behind years of earthly pleasures and debauchery to embrace a restrictive lifestyle that, so far, has helped him stay clean and sober. Unfortunately, he is bored with Carrie, and he harbors lustful feelings for his ex-wife, Allison. He is also beginning to question whether he can continue adhering to the Tabernacle's stringent code of behavior. Although he is tempted to start drinking again, he fears that going down that road will undo everything that he has worked so hard to achieve. Above all, Tim is determined not to jeopardize the fragile relationship that he has developed with his daughter, Abby. Although Tim and Ruth argue bitterly over his insistence that praying with his team after a soccer game is no big deal, the two have an undeniable chemistry between them. Can they reach across their religious divide to find common ground? Ruth's witty gay friends, Randall a