Fun Home is a 2006 graphic novel by Alison Bechdel that delves into her relationship with her father and her struggle with sexual identity. The book is both a critical and commercial success, and it became a Broadway musical that won five Tony awards, including Best Musical.

Several incoming freshman at Duke University, however, have refused to read the book because, according to Duke's student newspaper The Chronicle, "its sexual images and themes conflicted with their personal and religious beliefs."

The Chronicle quotes a closed Facebook page in which students said reading the book would compromise their personal Christian moral beliefs. In the book, the author describes coming out as a lesbian and discovering that her father was secretly gay. There are also graphic scenes that describe masturbation and the author's first sexual experience with a woman.

"The nature of Fun Home means that content that I might have consented to read in print now violates my conscience due to its pornographic nature," freshman Jeffrey Wubbenhorst said in an email to The Chronicle.

Students were told to read the book as part of the Duke Common Experience Program, which is meant to give incoming freshman a "shared intellectual experience," according to the university, with a focus on a list of books to read over the summer. During orientation week, the students discuss the books in small groups and as a larger community.

Although it's recommended that students read the books, it is not required of them, according to Time Warner Cable News. Other books on the list include Anthony Doerr's All The Light We Cannot See, winner of this year's Pulitzer Prize in fiction, and Jonathan Haidt's The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion.

Fun Home "is a quick read but not an easy one," Ibanca Anand, a student member of the Duke Common Experience selection committee, said back in April, when the reading list was announced. "It made me uncomfortable at times, which I think is one of the most telling reasons why it's so important for students to read."

"It has the potential to start many arguments and conversations, which, in my opinion, is an integral component of a liberal arts education," she added.

The selection committee also anticipated that the book might cause a stir.

"Because of its treatment of sexual identity, the book is likely to be controversial among students, parents and alumni," Simon Partner, a professor of history and director of the Asian/Pacific Studies Institute at Duke and member of the selection committee, said in April. "I think this, in turn, will stimulate interesting and useful discussion about what it means, as a young adult, to take a position on a controversial topic."

This isn't the first time Fun Home has set off controversy. Shortly after it was published, residents of a small town in Missouri questioned whether the community's library should stock the book. And universities, including the College of Charleston and the University of Utah, faced challenges after the book was assigned to the schools' English classes.

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Michael Sebastian Michael Sebastian was named editor-in-chief of Esquire in June 2019 where he oversees print and digital content, strategy and operations.

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