The Battle Over Texas' Reading List: Restoring Literary Standards in Public Schools
What's At Stake in the Upcoming SBOE Vote and Why Parents and Taxpayers Should Pay Attention
Next week, the State Board of Education will vote on Texas’ required literary works list—and what’s at stake could not be more important.
The Texas Education Agency’s recommended list has been widely praised for restoring a strong foundation in classical literature, Western civilization, and American history. These are the texts that build cultural literacy, historical understanding, and critical thinking, giving students the context they need to understand both our nation and the world.
But a newly proposed substitute list would move us in a very different direction.
SBOE member Will Hickman’s proposal removes multiple foundational works and replaces them with popular modern titles that, while commercially successful, raise serious concerns in a classroom setting.
For example, in English II (10th grade), classical works are replaced with The Martian by Andy Weir. While it may be an engaging and popular science fiction novel, the version proposed is not a classroom edition—and it contains frequent, explicit language, including the f-word used 59 times. That alone raises legitimate questions about its suitability for required instruction in a public school setting.
Just as concerning, in English IV (senior year), historically significant works like Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington and Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass are removed and replaced with Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne.
While Empire of the Summer Moon is a notable work of nonfiction, it includes repeated and graphic depictions of extreme violence, including references to rape more than two dozen times. The content is not implied—it is graphic. In one passage, a grandmother is pinned down, raped, and stabbed in her breast. In another, a pregnant woman is gang raped and her body mutilated in a prolonged act of brutality.
There are at least 26 such references, not including other depictions of extreme violence and torture.
This raises serious questions about its appropriateness as required reading in a public high school setting. Frankly, neither The Martian or Empire of the Summer Moon meet the suitability rubric adopted by the SBOE just two years ago.
I also have concerns about other titles included in Hickman’s substitute list, including Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. While each of these books may have value in other contexts—and are more likely than the others to meet the suitability rubric—they still reflect a broader shift away from foundational literature and toward content that raises questions about age-appropriateness and instructional purpose.
This is not about being “for” or “against” any one book, but about standards—and the breadth of knowledge we want to impart to Texas students as a whole.
It is about ensuring that what we require students to read in Texas public schools reflects age-appropriate and suitable content, while prioritizing the foundational works that shaped our civilization and our country. Classic literature is the backbone of a well-rounded education. We should all be wary of replacing great works with current popular fiction.
Texas students deserve the best. By far, the TEA’s list achieves that. Member Will Hickman’s substitute list falls far from the mark.
Texas’ State Board of Education will be voting on this next week, and public input matters. If you believe our classrooms should prioritize classic works of literature, historical understanding, and age-appropriate standards—not replace them with popular fiction or unsuitable materials—now is the time to speak up!
Contact your SBOE member. Submit an informal comment. Make your voice heard before the vote.
In liberty and God’s grace,
Christin Bentley
You can submit an informal comment here: Submit Comment on Texas' Literary Works List
The SBOE will be debating the Literary Works List on Tuesday, April 7th. You can register to testify here: Register to Testify at the SBOE