Horrifying Book Experience

[Impish]

At Chapters on the weekend. SpecialMama and I were out, getting books for Diva, and I had $100 worth of gift cards (God bless Airmiles!) to spend.

 

I think I'm permanently scarred. My psyche will not recover quickly. Their 'classics' section was a whopping 2 bookshelves. And most of the books were REPEATS. Anne of Green Gables was there in 3 or 4 forms. The top shelf was all dvds.

 

I cannot tell you how many shelves were dedicated to vampire/supernatural/romance aimed at teens, however. I closed my eyes and hurried past :lol:

 

WTH is going on in our society?? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for kids reading, and one of my brothers was gifted comic books simply to get him to read ANYTHING at all.

 

Why do preteens/teens need to be reading about s*x? Why are so many books aimed at preteen girls about boyfriends? Isn't it teaching preteens/teens that the world revolves around having a guy in their life? How about something that is about a young woman achieving something, other than hooking the guy she has a crush on?

 

Ack!!

[katilac]

At Chapters on the weekend. SpecialMama and I were out, getting books for Diva, and I had $100 worth of gift cards (God bless Airmiles!) to spend.

 

I think I'm permanently scarred. My psyche will not recover quickly. Their 'classics' section was a whopping 2 bookshelves. And most of the books were REPEATS. Anne of Green Gables was there in 3 or 4 forms. The top shelf was all dvds.

 

I cannot tell you how many shelves were dedicated to vampire/supernatural/romance aimed at teens, however. I closed my eyes and hurried past :lol:

 

WTH is going on in our society?? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for kids reading, and one of my brothers was gifted comic books simply to get him to read ANYTHING at all.

 

Why do preteens/teens need to be reading about s*x? Why are so many books aimed at preteen girls about boyfriends? Isn't it teaching preteens/teens that the world revolves around having a guy in their life? How about something that is about a young woman achieving something, other than hooking the guy she has a crush on?

 

Ack!!

 

I call the young adult section in our library the 'soft porn' section. Every single book from YA has to be previewed by me before dd, 11, can check anything out.

 

And yes, she reads a lot of classics, and yes, I try to find suitable adult authors when possible rather than YA stuff, but sometimes she wants to read modern 'girl' books. Not an easy task.

[usetoschool]

I gave up on our local book stores and just order from Amazon now. Went into Borders just last week and it was more like a toy store than a book store and what books they had were based on tv characters or just junk like you saw.

 

I can barely take younger kids with me because there is so much garbage at eye level. I am definately not a recluse or a prude but I am getting tired of getting bombarded with bumber stickers, taxi ads, billboards, magazine covers and window displays covered with smut and garbage every time I drive anywhere.

[MeaganS]

I think it's all because that's what sells. I used to work at B&N (in the children's section) and I would get tons of requests for Dora the Explorer books or Twilight or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but only every now and then would I get a request for Little Women or Peter Pan or A Little Princess. It's just the way it is. They write them because they sell and they want to make money.

[MariannNOVA]

I was looking for a 'beach' read last week in a shop in NC -- a lovely, frou-frou gift shop with typically a wonderful section of books. I was stunned to find myself staring at a entire WALL - a WALL - of v*mp*re books. I found something to read in the really good stash of books the homeowner had accumulated in the house we rented - as far as finding something to purchase, it was all GARBAGE!

 

I think you've hit much of the nail on the head with your statements about s*x, and stories centering around females needing to be self-actualized by having a man in their lives -- at least in a particular genre of reading material.

[sleepymommy]

 

Why do preteens/teens need to be reading about s*x? Why are so many books aimed at preteen girls about boyfriends?

 

:iagree:

 

Books, movies, tv shows, music, etc. It's too much.

 

We were raised not to date and have boyfriends as teens. It was really hard since that's what practically everything revolved around (at least it seemed that way). All my friends had boyfriends (starting as early as 6th grade!!), (popular) books, music, tv, movies all had some sort of a dating theme.

 

It really is just over the top. I understand that the whole love story theme is important, but I think the target audience is just too young.

[Dirtroad]

IT is heartbreaking! :crying: we have quit shopping at BooksAMillion and Barnes adn Noble b/c the books are popculture, cultish, candy/junk reading, or just scary. Most of it is junk, junk, junk!

 

So, we buy online from amazon now... and thrift stores :thumbup1: in search of out of print, etc.

 

I even laugh in the thrift store b/c BARNEY & BARBIE & teen romance books are more valuable than anything by Burgess, Lewis, Bronte, or Austin. The best books are way down on the bottom shelves & my 8 year old is the perfect height to find the best stuff!

 

It is really sad.

[starwarsmomma]

I've started looking for books printed in the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc...

 

WHy? Because they're clean books.

 

ANd even the "CLASSICS" have been seriously dummed down. Try reading a recent copy of swiss family robinson. It's NOTHING like the original. It's been changed so much, it's not even the same book! Compare it to an older version (my copy is ISBN 0448060221 ) The older copy is sooo much better!!

 

We're reading old classics -- daniel boone, davy crockett, swiss family robinson, annie oakley, etc...

[Impish]

I think it's all because that's what sells. I used to work at B&N (in the children's section) and I would get tons of requests for Dora the Explorer books or Twilight or Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, but only every now and then would I get a request for Little Women or Peter Pan or A Little Princess. It's just the way it is. They write them because they sell and they want to make money.

And that's the problem, I think. How the heck did it get to the point where young teens were encouraged to read this crap? Soft porn is exactly right, in my estimation.

 

I think this speaks volumes about where we're at as a society. Truly.

 

No longer is it (I'm talking generalities) the norm for teens to be chaste. S*xual experimentation IS the norm now. When did the expectations of parents change? When did society change from encouraging chaste behaviour to ignoring/condoning teens having s*x?

 

I.don't.get.it.

 

If you feed a child a diet of s*xually provocative media, you're going to have a s*xually alert child. How can anyone expect a young woman, reading crap, watching crap, being inundated with s*xy advertising to not have an internalized s*xual awareness and erosion of s*xual mores? Seriously. When its surrounding everything a child does, how can parents combat that? They can't! Add in there a child at public school, who now has peer attachment and accompanying pressure...and s*x is a glorified handshake. Maybe on the 'glorified', because some of the kids I've met don't consider it even that important as to be 'glorified'.

 

I think a huge part of this is the media. Huge part.

[Crissy]

WTH is going on in our society?? Don't get me wrong, I'm all for kids reading, and one of my brothers was gifted comic books simply to get him to read ANYTHING at all.

 

As much as I dislike so much of the garbage that's out there, I don't think it is anything new.

 

As you mentioned in the recently revived thread on reading as teens, there have always been plenty of trashy books, and parents who allow or even offer it to their teens:

 

I kinda laugh in a bitter way reading other's responses about how their parents didn't monitor their reading, or they hid it from their parents...my mother bragged about sharing her reading material with me. VC Andrews, Stephen King, whatever was floating around, I read. Literally. Nothing was off limits to me what so ever, and nothing was particularly encouraged either, unless it was assigned from school. Any classics I read were by accident, purely by my stumbling upon them.

[Impish]

Difference was, the trash I read was for adults. It wasn't marketed directly to teens/preteens.

 

Sweet Valley High, etc was, and it was garbage. However, the majority of inappropriate crap I read was marketed to adults. Now young teens are in publishers sights and have a big bullseye on their foreheads.

[Killian]

How about "Pride and Prejudice and the Zombies". I kid you not! My daughter and I nearly fell over when we saw it prominently displayed front and center as we entered our local Borders. : pauses a moment to allow Jane to finish rolling over in her grave: From the back cover, "P&P&Z transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read." :shakes head: I guess I should take comfort that he allows the original is a classic.

 

Happy reading?

 

~K

Edited September 22, 2009 by Killian
can't get underline to work

[sadiegirl]

I tend to find most of the boys' books on Amazon. I usually use the area that cross-references to other books that are bought by those that bought that book. I have come up with some great books that way. I also do the same on Barnes and Nobles site as they show books that are similar.

I know this is on a different subject but I see a similar attitude in television shows and movies that are directed towards our youth. Lack of morals, lack of substance and sexual innuendo throughout.

My boys(ages 12/14) love old movies and old programs like The Real McCoys, Green Acres, Andy, etc. I have always made a point to introduce them to great movies of the 30s,40s and 50s that offer suspense, humor, and just great stories for the entire family. Now, I have a difficult time justifying the expense of tickets to a movie as they have no real plot or content. Times have changed and I don't think standards for creative works for kids/teens are what they could be.

That being said, there still are good reads, good movies and shows but they are few and far between and you have to look for them. I feel your frustration.

[Impish]

I agree about tv and movies. To me, I trace the shift back to 90210, when it wasn't a matter of IF Brenda and Dylan would sleep together, but of WHEN.

[Tutor]

How about "Pride and Prejudice and the Zombies". I kid you not! My daughter and I nearly fell over when we saw it prominently displayed front and center as we entered our local Borders. : pauses a moment to allow Jane to finish rolling over in her grave: From the back cover, "P&P&Z transforms a masterpiece of world literature into something you'd actually want to read." :shakes head: I guess I should take comfort that he allows the original is a classic.

 

Happy reading?

 

~K

 

I have to admit that I am looking forward to reading Pride, Prejudice & Zombies (and if it's any good, the sequel: Sense, Sensibility & Sea Monsters). I had not read any Austen until last year, and I HATED it. Someone told me I should have read Northanger Abby or P&P rather than S&S, so I got P&P on audio book. It's better (P&P comes across much more as social satire to me than S&S did), but I still don't get the Austen hype. I'm thinking that zombies may liven it up a bit... plus I think it's an interesting take on the adaptation. We're considering having our dd12 read the graphic novel version of Robinson Crusoe after she reads the original so she can compare the styles and how the second interprets the first.

 

As Qohelet says in Ecclesiastes, "There is nothing new under the sun." Every story has been redone in some way. I think that as long as we and our children are knowledgeable of the timelines and links of literature, we're well covered. (Thus why I am forcing myself to read the original P&P before reading the zombie version.)

[calandalsmom]

I dont think this is new either. Sweet Valley High and so on were around when I was a kid.

 

There is stil plenty of good new stuff around for girls AND boys!

 

I do find that book stores like B&N, Borders and etc rarely have many good books though. I cant figure out if Im spoiled by Amazon.com or if my own stores are just really poorly stocked.

[nata]

I don't think this is new, but it is definitely more in your face...that's why I have taken great pains to build up our library at home. If we ever do get something from the library or bookstore it's usually done online and then picked up or mailed to us...sad, but that's what it has come to.

 

I read Twilight after I had 3 of my very close friends recommend it, and I couldn't believe that they were going to have their daughters read it... I thought it was most degrading...true there was no s*x in it, but it represented love as being based entirely upon looks and physical response to looks...no thanks, I don't want my daughter growing up thinking that that is what love is...just my 2 cents...

[funschooler5]

I read Twilight after I had 3 of my very close friends recommend it, and I couldn't believe that they were going to have their daughters read it... I thought it was most degrading...true there was no s*x in it, but it represented love as being based entirely upon looks and physical response to looks...no thanks, I don't want my daughter growing up thinking that that is what love is...just my 2 cents...

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

 

Nobody ever seems to address the issue of their "love" being based on completely superficial things.

 

And about the crap at bookstores nowadays....I completely agree. I went to Borders last week, and it seemed like they had more toys than books! My kids love books, but I couldn't drag my younger two away from the toy section to look at them. Drives me nuts (and don't get me started about toys at the library :glare:).

 

Also, my kids were looking at their Scholastic book catalogs a while back, and DD laughed about how the books they recommended for "Turn of TV week" were all TV and movie tie-ins. What's the point about turning off your TV if you're only going to read terribly written books about TV shows?

[Laura Corin]

She's extremely bright, but would read nothing but the YA stuff. Her school reports consistently said that she needed to be reading something else, otherwise she would not be able to cope with the set texts she needed to read in high school.

 

Laura

[HollyDay]

I was just talking with friends IRL about this very topic. Each of us commented that when we were in the library last, parents were putting Twilight on hold for their 10 yr olds. Vampire stuff aside, there is some "mature themes" in those books. Our libraries require a parent to place the hold on books listed as "mature" or adult only. The librarian told the father that the books contained s*xual material and might not be appropriate for a 10 yr old. The father gave the typical response - "at least she's reading".

 

Anybody look at the book covers of romance novels lately? Johanna Lindsey (among others) novels? What about the "bodice ripper" category? Erotica category? Many of these go beyond the "soft" porn label. Granted they are marketed to adults. Granted adults should be able to make a choice whether or not to read the material/support the industry. But, what does it say to dc when they see their moms reading it? It is okay for adults but not dc? Okay. Why? How does one explain to their dds that books about these themes are just not appropriate for young minds. How does one explain the content of many of these books? I see young teens at the library reading these books ALL. THE. TIME. Many of these story lines are about the "hero" forcing the main (female) character. Abductions, etc.

 

I went to the Harlequin website (yes, I wasn't sure how to spell it so I had to google it.) They have an ad for their book categories: "Today's Lessons in Love: Biology (Blaze category), Social Studies, Chemistry, and Geography." Now, who are they marketing to?

 

Interesting look at this genre in fiction.

[teamturner]

I've started looking for books printed in the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc...

 

WHy? Because they're clean books.

 

ANd even the "CLASSICS" have been seriously dummed down. Try reading a recent copy of swiss family robinson. It's NOTHING like the original. It's been changed so much, it's not even the same book! Compare it to an older version (my copy is ISBN 0448060221 ) The older copy is sooo much better!!

 

We're reading old classics -- daniel boone, davy crockett, swiss family robinson, annie oakley, etc...

 

And herein lies a problem with that silly Consumer Safety Act that is causing many libraries to pull books off the shelf that were printed prior to 1985 since they have lead in the ink. I requested my library not do it, but I think they've done it anyway.

[fivetails]

Y'know, people do have different tastes in books. My daughter (almost 13) is curled up in the basement right now, nose buried in my Twilight book - she started it the other week, read for hours a couple of days, set it down, and then went back to it yesterday and today {she's 3/4 through it} ~ and I couldn't be happier. :D

 

Want to know why? Because this is my kiddo who has never embraced reading as something "fun" --- she's capable of reading, but she's never - NEVER - been truly hooked by a book until now.

 

Today, on the way home from piano lessons, I glanced over at her and saw a very far-away look in her eyes... and I knew what it was. I reached across, poked her, and said "Hello? Anybody home?" and she jumped, looked at me like she'd forgotten where she was, and said "I was just..." ...and paused. I grinned, cuz I know that look so, so well. "You're thinking about them, aren't you?" I asked her... "yes!" she replied, eyes wide. "I want to know what they're doing!!" ...and then she covered her mouth, like she thought she'd said something silly... but she hadn't - and I told her so. I told her that THAT is why she sees me reading for hours on end sometimes - because once a story has taken hold of you, it's so hard to set it down and do anything else. "I want to know what they're doing" --- is such a perfect way to put it...the characters come to life in your head and are so much more than words on paper ~ a good story always has me wanting to get back to it, for fear of them getting away on me. ;)

 

Now that she's experienced this, I'm hoping that she'll want to find it again ~ and I suspect she will. She never knew what it was like to fall into a good story - and it's not a feeling that can be easily understood unless you've experienced it... that's finally happened for her.

 

Will she start picking up other stories, knowing that she can find this? I bet she will.

 

After New Moon, of course. :lol:

 

/rambling

 

 

Oh ~ and yes, I provided her with lots of reading material throughout the years.. we've had The Little House books and Black Beauty and Heidi and The Narnia series and all that ~ our read aloud at the moment, for her and her brother, is The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe ~ but none of them truly drew her in...

 

{I actually know a homeschooler who is thinking of creating a unit study based on Twilight ~ her ideas looked pretty awesome.}

 

Yep, it's vampires. They're just fantasy creatures - not much different than dragons and wizards and everything else. The Twilight vampires are pretty darn well behaved & innocent for the undead. :tongue_smilie:

 

And just for the record - no, I won't be letting her read the last two for a while.. they do get a bit more mature in content, beyond what I'm currently okay with her reading. Twilight & New Moon, I decided I was okay with her reading those - after initially saying no. One of those times that I'm quite glad to be a bit wishy washy. :lol:

 

Okay maybe this ought to have been a blog entry - I meant to just say that everyone has different tastes in books and that what one person views as "a great story" might be what another views as "hideous/horrible/as exciting as watching mud dry" - and the other way 'round, of course.

[Jennifer in NH]

I've started looking for books printed in the 40's, 50's, 60's, etc...

 

WHy? Because they're clean books.

 

ANd even the "CLASSICS" have been seriously dummed down. Try reading a recent copy of swiss family robinson. It's NOTHING like the original. It's been changed so much, it's not even the same book! Compare it to an older version (my copy is ISBN 0448060221 ) The older copy is sooo much better!!

 

We're reading old classics -- daniel boone, davy crockett, swiss family robinson, annie oakley, etc...

Now I read a thorough description of classics and if I don't see, UNABRIDGED I don't buy it. I found a copy of The Secret Garden that was dumbed down...it left out whole sections! Very much a pet peeve.

 

and, I too, now buy from Amazon or library books sales.

[Jennifer in NH]

one more thing, I was looking for books at our local library this summer for my newly 'loves to read" 9 year old. The librarian lead me over to the Sweet vally high books, and the Baby sitter's club books. I passed.

[camibami]

Shhh...I think zombies might improve Austen a fair bit, too!!

:auto:

((runs away))

[HayesW]

I just tried to buy a copy of the Tale of Despereax for a friend. Amazon had a paperback for almost $15. They did, however, have the movie edited version of the book for only $5. I sent something else.

[sleepymommy]

I went to the Harlequin website (yes, I wasn't sure how to spell it so I had to google it.) They have an ad for their book categories: "Today's Lessons in Love: Biology (Blaze category), Social Studies, Chemistry, and Geography." Now, who are they marketing to?

 

Interesting look at this genre in fiction.

 

Yes! My MIL, who loves 'romance' novels calls them historical fiction.:tongue_smilie:

[EthiopianFood]

This doesn't have anything to do with smutty material, but rather the mention in the OP of romance for teens. Romance crap is spoon fed to our little girls a la Disney all the time! Every single one of those movies has a love story, and it really bugs me. Why do little girls need to be daydreaming about finding a man someday?? Why is this acceptable to so many parents? I don't get it.

[Impish]

This doesn't have anything to do with smutty material, but rather the mention in the OP of romance for teens. Romance crap is spoon fed to our little girls a la Disney all the time! Every single one of those movies has a love story, and it really bugs me. Why do little girls need to be daydreaming about finding a man someday?? Why is this acceptable to so many parents? I don't get it.

I agree with you, despite having grown up with most of it. The realization that Ariel is SIXTEEN (Little Mermaid) creeped me right the heck out.

[fivetails]

This doesn't have anything to do with smutty material, but rather the mention in the OP of romance for teens. Romance crap is spoon fed to our little girls a la Disney all the time! Every single one of those movies has a love story, and it really bugs me. Why do little girls need to be daydreaming about finding a man someday?? Why is this acceptable to so many parents? I don't get it.

 

Princess/Prince/happily ever after ~ goes back way longer than Disney has existed though... :)

[EthiopianFood]

Princess/Prince/happily ever after ~ goes back way longer than Disney has existed though... :)

 

Yes, of course. LOL I mentioned Disney because we were talking about modern media influences. From what I can tell, most little girls today have seen Disney movies a million times more often than they have read any classic fairy tales. Also, fairy tales don't come with product marketing like Disney does. I really don't think it's the end of the world if my dd hears Cinderella. I do think watching those movies, seeing the characters in Target, at their friends' homes, and in commercials, then being amped up for the next stupid movie creates a different impression.

[HollyDay]

RaeAnne, do you remember Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses? My dh thought that was great marketing. Not only do you need to buy the dvd, but now, there are 12 dolls along with carriage, horse, and handsome prince! And it came out in fall too. How convenient for Christmas shopping.

[Asma_08]

Difference was, the trash I read was for adults. It wasn't marketed directly to teens/preteens.

 

Sweet Valley High, etc was, and it was garbage. However, the majority of inappropriate crap I read was marketed to adults. Now young teens are in publishers sights and have a big bullseye on their foreheads.

 

 

 

Well I have to say smut was marketed to us back then although not as bad as this. But Sweet Valley High, Judy Blume books etc... I think its not that much different except marketing to teens as an industry is just much larger now compared to the 80's.

[cathmom]

RaeAnne, do you remember Barbie and the 12 Dancing Princesses? My dh thought that was great marketing. Not only do you need to buy the dvd, but now, there are 12 dolls along with carriage, horse, and handsome prince! And it came out in fall too. How convenient for Christmas shopping.

 

There has been a Barbie movie released for Christmas every year for about 10 years, along with accompanying Barbies. Sadly, last year my dds were too old for them. The movies are actually pretty good IMO. Even my boys like them!

 

One of my major pet peeves is book stores selling toys! Our Barnes and Noble was just redone with a huge toy section.

[Elizabeth Conley]

Unwholesome ideas slip in no matter what we do as parents.

 

We took my husband's mother out to lunch this weekend, and she asked my daughter (13) if she had a boyfriend "yet". She asked my son (10) if he had a girlfriend "yet".

 

"Yet." "Yet," as if it's some sort of developmental milestone to be achieved as soon as possible.

 

You should see the swimsuit one of our relatives bought our daughter.

 

I get so tired of countering this nonsense. Really and truly, this sexualization of children has progressed to the point that these well meaning adults haven't a clue what they're doing and saying.

 

I love these people, truly I do. I don't want to argue with them. I just wish they thought a bit before they opened their yaps or bought my children junk.

 

By the way, dumb-bunny that I sometimes am, I suggested my ten year old son review "Stand By Me" for his drama class. Somebody, please slap me! It was a great movie, but the potty-mouth in it was way, way overdone. I am surprised the child actors' parents permitted their kids to speak the lines. It was ridiculous. That was the 80s!

[CookieMonster]

I think a huge part of this is the media. Huge part.

 

The media simply responds to what will sell. What will sell is a representation of what morals are held by the people they are selling to. If moms and dads and teens valued God's boundaries for sex, they would be shunning these books (as you are) rather than salivating over them.

 

If you feed a child a diet of s*xually provocative media, you're going to have a s*xually alert child. How can anyone expect a young woman, reading crap, watching crap, being inundated with s*xy advertising to not have an internalized s*xual awareness and erosion of s*xual mores? Seriously. When its surrounding everything a child does, how can parents combat that? They can't! Add in there a child at public school, who now has peer attachment and accompanying pressure...and s*x is a glorified handshake. Maybe on the 'glorified', because some of the kids I've met don't consider it even that important as to be 'glorified'.

 

I agree with your sentiments. We, in America, can no longer rely on the society around us to largely follow Biblical moral principles. To me our previous ability to do so seems more like an anomaly in history rather than the norm. I can only imagine the kinds of things Christian parents had to deal with back in Rome.

 

I think the wise thing to do is to recognize the reality of the way things are and prepare our children for it. It is smut, garbage, and trash and we need to tell our kids so. We need to be discerning in our media choices, and be honest with our kids about why we choose not to be exposed to certain things. There are quite a few books out on just this subject.

 

Movie Nights a guide to help you talk with your kids about movies and be discerning about their content.

 

Raising Godly Children in an Ungodly World is one I am going to try to get around reading.

 

I think I need to begin by teaching my children sexuality from God's perspective. I'll use something like this series, in addition to Bible study itself (Romans 12:1-3). When they're older I'll use something like I Kissed Dating Goodbye or Passion & Purity.

 

Anyway, those are just some random thoughts on the topic this morning.

 

ETA: If we want to change the culture at large we should focus on changing hearts. Evangelism and discipleship are very important.

Edited September 23, 2009 by CookieMonster
thought of more

[Impish]

One book that I forgot to look for (I get a wee nuts in a bookstore, especially when I'm getting stuff for free! I ended up spending double what I had in gift cards...just don't tell Wolf!) is The Princess And The Kiss. I think that will be a wonderful book for both my daughters...there's another one for boys too that I need to get.

 

In her defense, some of the Judy Blume books are great. I loved the Fudge series. Are You There, God? Its Me Margaret was actually a help when it came to menstruation.

[meet me in paris]

 

I do find that book stores like B&N, Borders and etc rarely have many good books though. I cant figure out if Im spoiled by Amazon.com or if my own stores are just really poorly stocked.

 

I work for Borders. There are tons of trashy books (true of any bookstore - especially one with a YA section) but there's a new CEO. Since he came around our classics area has been greatly expanded. This makes me very happy! :D

 

The vampire nonsense will go away soon enough. It's a trend. But it will be replaced by something equally horrid, no doubt! On the flip side, there are some really good YA writers that do not resort to the lowest common denominator.

 

my 2 pennies.

[Ravin]

I'm going to go against the flow and say I'm less concerned about the junk books than many. Mind you, I refuse to buy them, and I would not let them be the ONLY books my DD reads. Also, I will monitor what she reads as she gets older, and if it's something I don't like (such as Twilight), or that has bits that I might find objectionable (such as Clan of the Cave Bear, which I read when I was 13), I will engage her and talk about those things. An example might be when Caleb assaults Bella in Eclipse, and everyone jokes about it. I would want to have a discussion of why such behavior should never be made light of.

 

In short, I'm for monitoring and discussing, but not much for censorship. I know I could have used an adult to talk to about the ideas and events in many of the book I read as a preteen and teen, but that doesn't mean I think I was in any way harmed by reading them. Then again, most of what I read at that age was science fiction. I never did read much of the junk, it didn't interest me. I was 22 and trapped on a ship underway with NOTHING ELSE new to read before I ever read a "historical fiction" romance novel, for example.

[meet me in paris]

Shhh...I think zombies might improve Austen a fair bit, too!!

:auto:

((runs away))

My husband (a J.A. fan, actually) just bought this book last week!

 

I was eying Sense and Sensibility and Seamonsters the other day. I read the first 2 pages and it was hilarious. shhhh.

[RubberChickenGirl]

And that's the problem, I think. How the heck did it get to the point where young teens were encouraged to read this crap? Soft porn is exactly right, in my estimation.

 

What gets me is the "It's promotes abstinence" nonsense RE Twilight. Like heavy petting with a dead person is promoting abstinence. Sounds like an effective approach to virginity/purity. Just pet like crazy (Bill Clinton would say it's not technically sex) and pretend you'll die if you go all the way.;)

Lovely, eh?