The commonsense.org review is a regurgitation from the extremely liberal NCTE rather than an application of common sense that you claim to provide. For example, your review says that the book contains "allusions to incest." Did the writer of this review not realize that the lead character, Milkman, gets his very nickname from his incestuous relationship to his mother while breastfeeding as a young boy? Or that he also has an ongoing sexual relationship with his cousin as a teenager? Also, some of what is said in this review doesn't make any sense at all, never mind COMMON SENSE. For example, exactly how should "older teen readers" be able to "move beyond" the new knowledge that (according to Toni Morrison's novels), blacks have regular sexual relationships with children, other members of their family, and even animals? Your review further states that the "human spirit soars, literally and metaphorically." Would this be in reference to the suicide at the beginning or end of the book? Futhermore, your review states that the sex is not "prurient." Yet the types of sex include: - Breast feeding a boy (not a baby, not a toddler) for pleasure - sex with dead people - oral sex - discussions of sexual relations between a daughter and father - descriptions of foreplay and undressing - teen sex at 16 with multiple partners - fantasies of sex between a mother and her son - sex with whores - sex between cousins - anal sex - oral sex between men - sex using objects forced into each other - discussions of sex with various animals and plants Many professional reviews of Morrison identify her work as "lascivious." "Lascivious" is a synonym for "prurient." Since when did even one description of deviant, perverted sex become "brilliant" literature for minors???

I'm very surprised and disappointed by the review by Common Sense Media (CSM), which is usually a very reliable and decent website. I was astonished when I read this review. Song of Solomon (which has NOTHING to do with the book in the Bible) contains the kind of graphic profanity, unnatural sex and other content that would only be appropriate for OVER-21. Disturbingly, it also projects a very unrealistic and unwholesome image of African Americans, as well as an overall "soap opera-ish" feel. Shame on CSM!

BAD

I was one of the many English students in higher level classes who were subjected to this carnival of squick, racism and a handy dose of magical realism. Yes, magical realism. Opinions may differ on this trope, but I find it just confusing and a bit annoying, call me ignorant, uncultured, whatever, it just rubbed me the wrong way. DON'T....STOP. I WOULD SPIT ON THIS TRIPE!

I think you are ridiculous if you are going to homeschool your child due to this book. Have you lived in the real world? Please, let's not be naieve. I think we can all agree that the themes in Morrison's book are shown in our day to day lives as Americans. Racisim, divorce, murder, feeling dead inside; all experienced, everyday. Morrison's novel is truly a work of beauty. In every symbolic word she writes, I am even more mesmerized how someone can create this. I perfect scene of symbolisim used at it's finest is when Milkman and Guitar are talking about the "white" peacock that cannot fly. Milkman says to Guitar, "Too much tail. All that jewlery weighs it down. Like vanity. Can't nobody fly with all that sh**. Wanna fly, you got to give up that sh** that weighs you down." I hope that makes a little easier to decide whether or not your kids should read this genuine novel. Would you like for your children to be vain? Would you like for them to be judgemental? Or dead inside? I'm sure your answers no. And I can say, that although I'm still only in high school, this book throughly changed my way of thinking.