Parent Guide > I Am Very Real
Welcome to the parent guide for this text! Read below to find out about what your child is reading in class and how you can support him/her at home.
This week in class, we’re reading "I Am Very Real" by Kurt Vonnegut.
Kurt Vonnegut (1922-2007) was an American author and humorist. One month after an English teacher at Drake High School in North Dakota decided to teach Kurt Vonnegut's novel Slaughterhouse-Five in his classroom, Charles McCarthy, the head of the school board, decided that the novel's "obscene language" was not appropriate. Every copy of Slaughterhouse-Five at Drake High School was burned in the school's furnace. In response, Vonnegut wrote this letter to McCarthy.
As we read, we will be discussing the themes of America and Justice, Freedom & Equality as they relate to the text. We are trying to answer these big questions :
"What makes America unique?" and "Which is more important: freedom or security?"
Ways to support your child:
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Ask your child about this letter at home:
- What was "I Am Very Real" about?
- What did you learn about America?
- What did you learn about Justice, Freedom & Equality?
- Watch the following clips with your child at home: