The autobiography I, Rigoberta Menchú has become part of the emerging multicultural canon on many campuses. The book, a story of a poor Guatemalan woman and her family, is taught in classes on literature, history, anthropology, and other disciplines. But a new book by a Middlebury College professor challenges the veracity of much of the autobiography. Conservatives have long dismissed the autobiography as simplistic, and now they -- and others -- think it is foolish for colleges to keep teaching it. But many professors say that they will continue to do so, either out of the belief that right-wing critics have unfairly questioned the work, or because they believe that the book portrays a greater truth about life in Guatemala -- regardless of whether the events described actually happened. Should the book continue to be taught in the way it has been? What does this controversy say about the state of academe? For further information, see this background story:
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