Parents' group calls for review of ninth-grade books

Renewing the debate over a controversial autobiography with explicit scenes, a parents' group has called for a review of sexual content in the ninth-grade English curriculum.

The countywide Citizens Advisory Committee voted unanimously last week to ask administrators for a fresh look at books like Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings," which includes passages with violence and sex.

The subject of debate in school systems across the country, the book contains graphic allusions to Ms. Angelou's rape at the age of 8 and other mature themes some parents say are too much for ninth-graders to handle.

Diane...