“Literacy is important, but there are higher goals still.

“Literacy is important, but there are higher goals still. We want our children to judge good, intelligent writing from mindless scribbling – and to prefer the former. We want them to have broad, passionate interests, not mere passions. We want something bigger and better for them than unfulfilled marriages, sour professions, broken promises, and miserable children. We want them to understand that it-s within their grasp to become real lovers. We want them to know that heroic fidelity, bedrock solidity, and tremendous spiritual and emotional depth are possible. Which means that their educational experiences must be composed of something better than Blume-s books.”