The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta

Ruth Ramsey is a sex education teacher at a high school and causes controversy during one of her classes by stating that some people enjoy oral sex. Ruth’s actions lead the administration to order her to teach an abstinence-based curriculum. She is uncomfortable with this, but continues teaching. Tim Mason is a born-again Christian who coaches Ruth’s daughter’s soccer team. Ruth’s and Tim’s worlds and views collide at a game and they find themselves as opponents, yet oddly intrigued by each other. The novel explores their beliefs, lives and discontents. Little Children, Perrotta’s last book, was one of my favorites the year it was published. The Abstinence Teacher has much in common with it, but I enjoyed Little Children more because it offered fuller descriptions of numerous characters, while this book offer only two (Ruth and Tim).