Bud Werner Memorial Library

Thanks to an off-hand remark made during a class discussion of oral sex, sex-ed teacher Ruth Ramsey finds herself a target of the Christian evangelicals who are increasingly influencing the schoolboard of suburban Stonewood Heights. Forced to attend remedial sessions with a smug “Virginity Consultant,” Ruth is isolated and alone, caught in the polarized red-versus-blue landscape of present-day American suburbia.

With The Abstinence Teacher, Tom Perrotta wades into the murky waters of contemporary American suburbia, fully deploying his proven gift for describing the panic lurking beneath its seemingly placid surface. Already widely known to book and movie audiences for his scathing satire mixed with remarkable compassion in works including Election and Little Children (both adapted for film, Little Children garnering Perrotta an Oscar nomination), this novel once again proves, as declared by the Los Angeles Times, “Perrotta’s balance of humor and pathos has no equal.

Tom Perrota is a featured author at Literary Sojourn, Steamboat Springs' 20th annual festival of  authors, which is sponsored by the Bud Werner Memorial Library.  Jordan will be joined by fellow authors Hillary Jordan, Jonathan Lethem, Laura Lippman, Kathryn Harrison and Master of Ceremonies Andrew Sean Greer

ABOUT THE LITERARY SOJOURN AUTHOR SERIES
The Literary Sojourn Author Study is a series of book discussion programs designed to enhance the experience of reading for this year's Literary Sojourn. Participants read and discuss works from each of the featured authors prior to the live event on Oct. 6, 2012. Bud Werner Memorial Library's Michelle Dover facilitates the free discussions and the study is limited to 12 participants per meeting. Register for this session online or call Michelle at 970-367-4907.