What books that we read as children would you not allow your children to read today?

[EKS]

 

The big issue recently has been her wanting to read popular YA dystopian series like Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Uglies, Enclave, etc.

 

My son's 6th grade English teacher actually assigned Uglies. Not impressed.

 

As for things I won't let them read that I read--Judy Blume is the main one that comes to mind. Though it's more that I just never encouraged it.

[OrdinaryTime]

I can't even remember what they were called, but those incestual kids living in the attic books...UGH. How did I read those?

 

V.C. Andrews. Really popular when I was in middle school. I agree - UGH! There was no redeeming literary value from the sexual perversion either, like you would get from, say, East of Eden.

[Dana]

Just as a FYI, Stephen King's book On Writing is pretty good. I've had my son read parts of it (kill the adverbs!). Language is still an issue if that matters to you. He also shows the first pages of a short story and then with his editing notes on it, so that's really cool.

[Joshin]

I was allowed to read what ever I wanted as a kid, and I read everything I could get my hands on. I can't honestly think of a single book I wouldn't let my kids read. I'm even thankful for being made to read Lord of the Flies, that's what got me through seventh grade. Once I read it I realized middle school wasn't too different than that island, and the kids behaved pretty much the same way.

 

Curious what the issue with Piers Anthony is. I read the Xanth and the Incarnations series as a kid and enjoyed them as light fantasy, but I guess if you were religious maybe Incarnations could be offensive, I don't know. I may stick one of the Xanth books on my son's nightstand tomorrow, he enjoys light, silly fantasy and I forgot about those.

[aggieamy]

I was allowed to read what ever I wanted as a kid, and I read everything I could get my hands on. I can't honestly think of a single book I wouldn't let my kids read. I'm even thankful for being made to read Lord of the Flies, that's what got me through seventh grade. Once I read it I realized middle school wasn't too different than that island, and the kids behaved pretty much the same way. Curious what the issue with Piers Anthony is. I read the Xanth and the Incarnations series as a kid and enjoyed them as light fantasy, but I guess if you were religious maybe Incarnations could be offensive, I don't know. I may stick one of the Xanth books on my son's nightstand tomorrow, he enjoys light, silly fantasy and I forgot about those.

 

Reading them with an adult's eyes and view of the world makes me see the Piers Anthony books in a different light. In the last Incarnation book there's a scene with a much older judge r @ ping the young former h 00ker that had come to live with him. But she loved him and was attracted to older men so it was okay. WHAT?!?! How did I overlook that as a teen? I don't remember anything from Xanth being on that level but there was lots of talk of the busty accomodating young women. Actually with a lot of his books that I reread I found a disturbing undercurrent of young women (teenager aged) being mentioned in s * xual ways. I wouldn't forbid my daughter to read them but I sure wouldn't put them in her hands either.

[Julie Smith]

I was allowed to read what ever I wanted as a kid, and I read everything I could get my hands on. I can't honestly think of a single book I wouldn't let my kids read. I'm even thankful for being made to read Lord of the Flies, that's what got me through seventh grade. Once I read it I realized middle school wasn't too different than that island, and the kids behaved pretty much the same way.

Curious what the issue with Piers Anthony is. I read the Xanth and the Incarnations series as a kid and enjoyed them as light fantasy, but I guess if you were religious maybe Incarnations could be offensive, I don't know. I may stick one of the Xanth books on my son's nightstand tomorrow, he enjoys light, silly fantasy and I forgot about those.

 

Piers Xanth series was originally meant to be okay for teens. Dh says some of the later ones are not so okay.

 

But his Bio of a Space tyrant series. Woozzers it has detailed .... Well it's one series I wouldn't even recommend to adults. It is nothing like his Xanth series, or his Incartion series. It is even way more ....!?!?!..... Then his series that takes place on a planet were almost everyone must legally be naked at all times and must do everything and I mean everything the boss tells them to.

[Based on Faith Academy]

It seems that I am going against the crowd here, but in my mind one of the benefits of homeschooling is the ability to avoid the inappropriate (putting it kindly) books that they push our kids to read in school. Books in my mind are no different than other entertainment/media choices we make. They all put images and ideas in our mind that help shape who we are as a person. We have a guideline in my church that our family does our best to follow, it is "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Basically if it offends the spirit it is not for us. In our house we have made a conscious decision to avoid R rated and even PG-13 movies. I am not saying everyone should do this, this is just a personal decision that our family has made. When it comes to other media and books we will follow the same standard. I don't necessarily think the very mention of a more sensitive topic is bad if it is handled sensitively and appropriately, and of course if the reader is an appropriate age to handle it. But just like I wouldn't let my children look at inappropriate pictures or watch inappropriate movie scenes I will not let them read an inappropriate scene as well. I am not necessarily trying to "censor" per se, I am just trying to teach my children that we should spend our time wisely and choose to spend our time reading/watching things that are uplifting (I don't mean all happily ever after, just wholesome and clean).

 

 

 

 

This is exactly what I meant when I posted this thread. These guidelines that you mentioned are the exact ones that we follow. It may not be for everyone but it for our household and our beliefs.

[raceNzanesmom]

It seems that I am going against the crowd here, but in my mind one of the benefits of homeschooling is the ability to avoid the inappropriate (putting it kindly) books that they push our kids to read in school. Books in my mind are no different than other entertainment/media choices we make. They all put images and ideas in our mind that help shape who we are as a person. We have a guideline in my church that our family does our best to follow, it is "if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." Basically if it offends the spirit it is not for us. In our house we have made a conscious decision to avoid R rated and even PG-13 movies. I am not saying everyone should do this, this is just a personal decision that our family has made. When it comes to other media and books we will follow the same standard. I don't necessarily think the very mention of a more sensitive topic is bad if it is handled sensitively and appropriately, and of course if the reader is an appropriate age to handle it. But just like I wouldn't let my children look at inappropriate pictures or watch inappropriate movie scenes I will not let them read an inappropriate scene as well. I am not necessarily trying to "censor" per se, I am just trying to teach my children that we should spend our time wisely and choose to spend our time reading/watching things that are uplifting (I don't mean all happily ever after, just wholesome and clean). I am hoping that by the time my children reach their highschool years they will have the desire to do the same. If my child came to me begging to read something that I felt did not fit into that category I may or may not let them read it, if I did it would probably involve a lot of discussion while reading the book. I believe that allowing our children to learn for themselves is important as well. I hope no one takes my comment in the wrong way because in no way am I trying to ruffle any feathers, I respect what all the other posters have said and I believe that we all have the freedom to choose what we believe is best for our own families. I am just adding my opinion in case there are others that feel the same way and this way they won't feel so alone in their decision.

 

This is how it is in our home too.

 

I read a lot of twaddle, never had discussions about what I was reading, etc. I try to avoid that with my kids. My oldest was an avid reader. Our biggest problem was finding appropriate books at his reading level. Now, when he reads for fun, it's generally classics. The youngest is a struggling dyslexic reader, so I encourage lighter reading. It, however, has to be appropriate (pleasing to the Lord) in content. Thankfully, that hasn't been too much of an issue.

[mazakaal]

 

 

This is exactly what I meant when I posted this thread. These guidelines that you mentioned are the exact ones that we follow. It may not be for everyone but it for our household and our beliefs.

 

I'm still curious about which books you find inappropriate so I can have an idea which ones I might not want to encourage. I never had to read Brave New World or Lord of the Flies for school. My assigned reading was more like Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities. I don't remember anything particularly bad in those. Is there anything I should be aware of?

[Clarkd]

I had no restrictions on reading material when I was young. I never thought I would censor reading, but at this point I pretty tightly control what they experience. They are all very young. I don't censor for level of literary richness (twaddle issues). Because my kids were adopted from foster care and have specific issues, I strongly censor violence, weapons, bad attitude, bad examples (Droon series, Redwall, Junie B Jones, Series of Unfortunate events), Based on my own beliefs I also currently screen out sexist and racist books (Mrs Piggle Wiggle, Briar Rabbit, Amelia Bedelia). I also don't currently introduce gross humor (Captain Underpants) although I will probably need to get over this. They are pretty sensitive and will self sensor (my one son is terrified by Mr McGregor in Beatrix Potter's books and hides when he sees the cover in his sisters' room). When they are older I want them to have fewer restrictions around some issues but want to talk with them about the books. Reading had such a powerful impact on me, and still does. I want them to be ready for what they read. They are so easily influenced. I worry about the impact of stories on their behavior and decision making, but am also concerned I am too restrictive. The imaginative experience of stories is so important. Clearly, I am pretty conflicted about my role in this process and their experience of literature.

[shanvan]

Brave New World - It was required reading in high school, and I hate the book to this day. I understand the point that was being made, but I don't believe in this case the ends justify the means. The book stole my innocence and I will never get over some of the mental images from it. I found it trashy.

 

It was not part of my required reading at any point in my education, so I can't comment other than to say this one is on my radar b/c another mother warned me about her son and his reaction to it when it was assigned for co-op class.

 

There are books I was assigned that I found disturbing, and for that reason I'd rather Dc not read them. Some I'd be okay with if serious discussion accompanies the reading, but not just to hand them. Lord of the Flies fits in that category for me, though I'd probably be okay with Ds reading it b/c I'm fairly certain at this point he analyzes well enough to spot the major themes. Catcher in the Rye and a book called I Am The Cheese were two I found disturbing, but I'd have to read them again before deciding if I'd allow Dc to read them. I don't exactly censor, but my Dc will listen to what I say about a book and usually follow my lead.

[boscopup]

I can't think of any books I was assigned in school that I wouldn't let my children read at an appropriate age. I can think of some that I hated and won't force on my kids, but if they want to try them, I'm totally fine with that. Maybe they'll like William Faulkner.

 

I will teach them what I think is appropriate reading in general. There are books I would not read, just like there are TV shows and movies I would not watch.

[Dana]

I'm thinking of this thread some as my son is reading a book, Bright Shark (co-written by Bob Ballard - fiction), that I haven't pre-read.

It's not assigned, and I'd planned to read it before handing it to him, but he grabbed it from the library stack and is having a grand time with it. He's also telling me all the curse words that are in it and he did ask me whether one was racist (it wasn't). So I'm a bit torn at letting him continue with it, but he'll get the opportunity to self-censor if he gets uncomfortable with the book or with any topics in it. I do think it's much easier to step away from a book than a movie or tv show. We'll see how it goes!

[dirty ethel rackham]

When my children were very young, I was much more "controlling" about what my children read in order to protect their innocence as well as help them develop a taste for literature. My oldest was a precocious reader which meant I struggled to find appropriate reading material for him that was age appropriate (he was reading novels in first grade and finished the LOTR trilogy in 3 weeks just before 4th grade.) As he got older, I started to change my view. Instead of being fiercely protective, I became more concerned about guidance.

 

When he was in 8th grade, we did a high school literature club with a couple other families with precicious, voracious readers. He was introduced to more adult themes, but in the context of a group with parental guidance. I read every book for that group and participated in discussions with him. I have to say that I was uncomfortable with some of the things we read, but, I do not regret those choices. It helped show a bigger world than what we experienced in our protective cocoon of homeschooling in a middle class suburban neighborhood so that when he had to go out into the world as a college student, he was better prepared. We are fortunate to have a wonderful independent bookstore where the staff actually reads books. I know that I can go in there and ask for a sci fi book for my son, express some of my misgivings and know that they will help steer me to good writers that don't have as much gratuitous violence or sex. We don't have the trashy twaddle in our house, but we do have lots of classic literature that has adult themes.

 

My other children were probably introduced to things a little younger than my oldest, probably because it was around. I am looking to start a literature club for her where we can read some more challenging literature and I will be in the position of having to choose good classic literature with more challenging themes that are not too adult.

[butterflymommy]

 

Catcher in the Rye? I loved that book in middle school. I'll have to go back and retread it now and see what all the fuss is about. I'm sure a lot of it went over my head.

 

There isn't fuss, which is what has always puzzled me. It's a portrait of a disturbed, nihilistic, narcissistic young man who fantasizes about killing people. I think at least three murderers have credited the book as inspiration including the guy who killed John Lennon.

 

At least VC Andrews wasn't assigned in school, but for my sister Steven King was! Then she went on to acquire all his books. King has some good stuff but it can be very disturbing. One of his earlier stories, published under pseudonym, is about a would-be school shooter.

[shawthorne44]

Clockwork Orange in High School????? That was assigned in College Freshman English. I didn't think I was old enough then. Still not old enough.

 

I just remembered another one. There are three books I wish I could unread, and the original version Grimm's Fairy Tales is one. Particularly Cinderella. The movie would be NR because of the violence.

[Ewe Mama]

We are trying to steer away from twaddle, too. I have several friends with older children and we keep getting their hand-me-down books of pure twaddle. Icky.

 

I also go for age appropriate material only. I was traumatized from reading Go Ask Alice in the fifth grade. A friend loaned it to me. I didn't understand some of it, but it gave me nightmares.

 

I shudder to think if the carp I allowed to reside in my brain as a youth. VC Andrews, Sweet Valley High, my mother's trashy novels, Sidney Sheldon. I read anything I could get my hands on. I would have been a lot better off if I stuck with reading material that challenged me and was actual literature instead of mindless swill. I have higher aspirations for my children.

 

I like lighthearted books, don't get me wrong, but there now needs to be something worthy and moral about it. I read so much mind candy in my younger years that I need a brain transplant!

[Crimson Wife]

 

My son's 6th grade English teacher actually assigned Uglies. Not impressed.

 

I thought the Uglies series was a fun "popcorn" read for me and it had some interesting "food for thought" about the value our society places on style over substance. But I feel the level of violence and the implied sex makes it inappropriate for 'tweens and younger teens.

[Pod's mum]

There isn't fuss, which is what has always puzzled me. It's a portrait of a disturbed, nihilistic, narcissistic young man who fantasizes about killing people. I think at least three murderers have credited the book as inspiration including the guy who killed John Lennon.

 

 

I've read this a few times (and have collected and read all of Salinger's books) and I hadn't noticed fantasies about killing people.

The main character, Holden, wishes certain people weren't there, there are a lot of "phonies" in his life but I don't remember any murder fantasies.

I'll have to look for that next re-read.

Salinger hated that so many people saw themselves personified in Holden and thought he had written the character just for them and that he 'got' them. Particularly the really screwy ones.

 

Wicki says...A 1979 study of censorship noted that The Catcher in the Rye "had the dubious distinction of being at once the most frequently censored book across the nation and the second-most frequently taught novel in public high schools"

 

By the way, the film, Finding Forrester is supposed to be based on Salinger. (Yeah, I kinda like his work.)

 

My dd reads too fast and too may books for me to pre-read, or even keep up with just which books she has on the go, so I know she'll continue to read things that should have waited a few years. I do give books to her and I have asked her to wait for others.

[Deee]

I read Catcher in the Rye too young and really don't remember it. I think I simply didn't get it. We did seem to have a big dystopian push in high school, beginning about year 8. While some of the books are well known, I'm not sure the writing is good enough to merit classic status. It did seem to ramp up the US/USSR nuclear war worry that was prevalent in the '80's.

 

Those Flowers in the Attic books were such rubbish. My mother gave them to me. All my friends read them. My mum also gave me Carrie when I was 13. I LOVED it. It encouraged me to write. A little gratuitous trash can be good. I read lots of Shakespeare, metaphysical and modern poetry, Austen, Bronte, etc as well.

 

I also read loads of Jeffery Archer - more trash. My dad took some of them from me, but I just took them back when he wasn't looking.

 

I don't think I censor (;)) but I do put off books till DS is old enough to understand the subject matter, not just the words. He's 12. He reads some trash as relaxation reading and we have discussed self-censoring, which he's quite good at. I won't give him To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World or Lord of the Flies yet. He doesn't need to go there: his innocence is precious and very short lived.

D

[ktgrok]

Oh geez--Flowers in the Attic! I don't remember when I read it and its sequel, but none of that trash for dd.

 

that's the only book/series I can think of I wouldn't want my kids to read. Young kids should not be reading about incest and evil like that. No way...those books were bad stuff.

[foxbridgeacademy]

There is not a single book I read as a child that I would not allow my kids to read. There is books now that I have not read myself and would not allow my kids to read, like 50shades, but generally speaking I do not censor books very often. It is a rare thing to do so for me.

 

What sorts of books did you read that seem so bad you don't want your kids reading them?

 

Exactly what I was going to say.

[NASDAQ]

I think that once a child has an adult reading level, the genie is out of the bottle, as it were. I 'censor' (more like 'moderate') visual material, but not written material.

 

That said, I read Helter Skelter at eight. I wouldn't prevent a child from reading that if they were interested (I sought it out -- weird kid), but I wouldn't exactly suggest it either.

[wimseycat]

I would probably steer my girls away from Judy Blume (Forever anyone????) and the Flowers in the Attic series (I was haunted by that for a long time by it as a kid) and probably Go Ask Alice as well, especially during the early developmental teen years. These were books I just should not have been reading at the time and my mom was very hands-off in terms of moral/character guidance - great housekeeper though! Of course my dd's haven't shown any interest in any of these books anyway. I am sure they might find them quite dated if they did pick them up now. Twilight is off the table until they are much older mainy because I think Bella is a terrible role model for young girls (especially in New Moon) and Edward makes stalking look like it is ok. We talk a lot about books in our home and have several trips to the library each week to pick up new stacks.

 

One resource for modern teen novel reviews I have found helpful and have volunteered with is a website called "What's In It?" which reviews current novels using an objective criteria and then recommends (or doesn't) the books for younger/older/all teens. http://www.wiilitguide.com/index.html It is kind of like what Kids-In-Mind does for movies except for teen fiction.

[2_girls_mommy]

There are lots that I read too young, and I would prefer for my dd to wait a bit longer for reading. Even things like the Outsiders were read to us in school in like 4th grade. I think the teen stuff in it should wait until she is actually in her teens, yk?? I loved those books, but a lot of the stuff had me idealizing situations that I didn't really understand. Same with the stuff like Hunger Games and other YA, I don't care if she reads it a bit later. But just because she is a good reader and loves to read doesn't mean I want her to ingest it all right now. I would prefer her to stick with Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time and the stuff like that.

 

I also read anything I could get my hands on as a kid. I picked up books like Clan of the Cave Bear that were mentioned earlier, at a young age, just because I had heard of them. But there are so many good books, that the junky stuff can wait, you know. I just kind of lead her towards better stuff, kind of like I led her away from Junie B. when she was first learning to read. There isn't anything wrong with it. But there was much better stuff available.

[PachiSusan]

Don't we all "censor" in one way or another as parents? Truly. We're SUPPOSED to make sure that what our children are exposed to are things they are ready for, and if they are exposed too early, to help them through it and walk them through the mental processes to deal with the fall out.

 

Here's my one "censor" so far.

 

Since "Harry Potter" came out, we have struggled with them. I am getting a lot of flak from many people about our decision to not let Melissa read "Harry Potter" 1 until she's mentally/emotionally ready to read the last ones, that do get progressively darker. My child reads voraciously when she's engaged, and I can see her reading the whole series within a few months if she's caught into it. I do not personally think my 9 year old is ready for the darkness and complexity of the last books. Again, your mileage may vary.

 

I hear, "But by the time she's ready for the older ones, she won't be interested in them"... so, Ok then. She won't read them. Will her life be forever scarred because she doesn't read "Harry Potter"? I don't get why so many people are ADAMANT and PUSHING that this is a MUST READ for all kids. Why?

 

I hear, "But it's a CLASSIC for our generation!! She will miss out on part of the generational memories!!!!"

 

I hear, "It's just like LOTR or Narnia - you're keeping her from experiencing so much!!! You can't shelter her forever!!"

 

Ugh. Parenting. What a journey sometimes! LOL

[Dana]

Here's my one "censor" so far.

 

Since "Harry Potter" came out, we have struggled with them. I am getting a lot of flak from many people about our decision to not let Melissa read "Harry Potter" 1 until she's mentally/emotionally ready to read the last ones, that do get progressively darker. My child reads voraciously when she's engaged, and I can see her reading the whole series within a few months if she's caught into it. I do not personally think my 9 year old is ready for the darkness and complexity of the last books. Again, your mileage may vary.

 

I agree with this. We have had the HP books as read-alouds for the family & we've limited it to one a year - at the end of the school year. It's worked well. My son questioned continuing after the death in book 5, but he handled it okay and did okay with book 6. We'll likely be doing book 7 at the end of this year (we did do the first two in first grade).

 

He's also done well with us telling him not to read a book yet and why it's best to wait. He loves comics & I've got some graphic novels I've told him to stay away from for now!

[CatholicMom]

I definitely read a couple books that had some parts that were s*xually explicit when I was in high school. I can't even remember the name but I remember being a little... uh... shocked at the descriptions. So I definitely would ban books that revel in grave sins or lifestyles (fornication, witchcraft, etc, etc). Craaazy book banner over here! lol But it's not like those are exactly top-notch literature so it's not like I'm going to have to do much tweaking of our reading plans. I remember being assigned a book about James Dean in college that was also pretty much pornographic at times. It boggles my mind that that refuse was assigned reading from a college professor!

 

I also read plenty of The Baby-sitters Club and Sweet Valley High which, although I don't remember anything as awful as what I mentioned above, was not real useful reading either. Crushes, gossip, blah blah. I will definitely steer my kids in a more fruitful direction. I'm thankful that now I have more of an idea of what's out there in terms of literature and I think they will have a lot of fun with reading as they get older.

[CatholicMom]

Don't we all "censor" in one way or another as parents? Truly. We're SUPPOSED to make sure that what our children are exposed to are things they are ready for, and if they are exposed too early, to help them through it and walk them through the mental processes to deal with the fall out. Here's my one "censor" so far. Since "Harry Potter" came out, we have struggled with them. I am getting a lot of flak from many people about our decision to not let Melissa read "Harry Potter" 1 until she's mentally/emotionally ready to read the last ones, that do get progressively darker. My child reads voraciously when she's engaged, and I can see her reading the whole series within a few months if she's caught into it. I do not personally think my 9 year old is ready for the darkness and complexity of the last books. Again, your mileage may vary. I hear, "But by the time she's ready for the older ones, she won't be interested in them"... so, Ok then. She won't read them. Will her life be forever scarred because she doesn't read "Harry Potter"? I don't get why so many people are ADAMANT and PUSHING that this is a MUST READ for all kids. Why? I hear, "But it's a CLASSIC for our generation!! She will miss out on part of the generational memories!!!!" I hear, "It's just like LOTR or Narnia - you're keeping her from experiencing so much!!! You can't shelter her forever!!" Ugh. Parenting. What a journey sometimes! LOL

 

If it makes you feel any better I will never let my kids read Harry Potter. No apologies here! Like you said, darkness, spells, witchcraft. Just not appropriate. Period. I literally think witchcraft is getting more popular among young people partly because of Harry Potter. It suddenly seems cool, interesting, like maybe there's more to it, maybe magic can be used for good, when in reality the Bible is clear that magic is evil. Always. So for Christians like us it is not a laughing matter.

 

ETA: I do allow Cinderealla, Rapunzel, and other fairy tale magic where it is used in an incidental way to make a point or tell a moral story. Not when it is the focus of the entire book or series and gets into spells, etc. I can talk through the Cinderella type magic and the kids know that's not real and in real life magic is bad, but Harry Potter takes it to a new level. That's where I draw the line.

[PachiSusan]

I definitely read a couple books that had some parts that were s*xually explicit when I was in high school.

 

 

I remember in 7th grade we passed around the book "Ragtime", by E.L. Doctrow. (I think that's how it's spelled). THere was a scene where the protagonist was getting a n*de massage and they described simply passing over the girly parts and br3asts and we were all SHOCKED...I still can't believe I read a book that big and with adult themes in 7th grade! LOL

[PachiSusan]

I literally think witchcraft is getting more popular among young people partly because of Harry Potter. It suddenly seems cool, interesting, like maybe there's more to it, maybe magic can be used for good, when in reality the Bible is clear that magic is evil.

 

I know of a few situations where kids went to the library to look up spells and incantations and found out about Wiccan and witchcraft. The vast majority, I would say, saw it as a fantasy book, but some found it led them to other things, and that does concern me. If Melissa reads them, she will be older than she is now.

[AimeeM]

I don't really censor reading material. There are some books that we hold off on *until later*, but I can't think of one that we've banned. I go out of my way to keep what is on the "banned list".

[amyrobynne]

I'm so glad to hear I'm not the only one who read VC Andrews back in the day -- all the girls in my 5th grade class read them. I went through a Stephen King phase in 8th grade before I accepted that I was too scared and couldn't handle it. I'd be fine with my kids trying those in middle school so long as they read plenty of better literature too.

 

My 6.5 year old found my unabridged copy of Les Miserables and started reading it the other day and we finally had to hide it from him when he started telling his brother about the descriptions of piles of bodies. At least he hadn't gotten to the prostitution yet. Middle school, maybe. High school, sure. First grade, no. The ridiculous thing is that it's like pulling teeth getting him to read books without pictures normally.

[kiwik]

Chinese alice.

[Violet Crown]

I think there's a big difference between true censorship (staging a campaign to get certain books out of a library or off bookstore shelves) and telling a tween or early teen child that this book isn't appropriate for them, yet.

I agree, though I'd note that these aren't even censorship in the sense people usually mean - they're first-amendment-protected speech, even if we disagree with the speakers. (And if the book is "Assembling Your Kitchen Meth Lab: Middle School Edition," I might not disagree, but that's another thread). I worry more about the old-fashioned kind, where the state expresses an interest in what you're ordering from Amazon.

 

We do plenty of private home censoring, but in the sense that we have thousands of books that are worth reading, which we acquired instead of offensive twaddle. And we put the Genet and Bataille on the higher shelves. I don't think of it as negative censorship - preventing a child from reading a certain book - but as positive censorship - providing an abundance of interesting, worthy reading.

[stripe]

 

 

Yes. I agree. A few people in this thread have said they won't allow their children to ever read certain books. I do consider that censorship, though on a family level - it's certainly not a public issue. I don't personally think it's the best way to parent, but I do think it's up to individuals to decide these things. Most people are saying that they won't be suggesting or requiring certain books that they think are inappropriate or just not very good OR that they will not be allowing certain books before a child is an older teen or before some particular age. I don't think that's censorship at all - there are many skills and experiences in life that we save for an appropriate age. I probably have a more liberal view of what that age is for many books, but I do think that's different from censorship.

 

 

My mom always wanted me to read Faulkner on my own, and it was way advanced.

 

I read Atwood's Handmaid's Tale when it came out. When I wanted to read it for a class, my teacher read the back cover (all about the ceremony) and made my mom give written permission, thinking it was some random smutty book.

 

I try to avoid books with a colonialist / racist viewpoint with my still young children.

[jeninok]

All of my Anne Rice books are sitting in a box to be unpacked later, and her Sleeping Beauty trilogy is now at a used bookstore. Other than that I won't allow twilight, simply because it is such a horrid example for relationships. DS is really into war stories, and I have had to draw the line at him watching things like Vietnam in HD simply because it is too much visually for me and I think for an 11 year old too. He has read a few books on the theme that make me cringe, but if he is reading and talking about it, then I am also doing a happy dance.

 

 

He is currently reading Ender's Game, next up is hunger games, and this summer I plan to re-read Madeleine L'Engle with him so we can really delve into it.

 

We do avoid really tragic books about animals and children dying. My mom handed me Bridge to Terabithia in about 6th grade and I cried for days, and was so mad at her. We also avoid Old Yeller, Where the Red Fern grows and some others with heart breaking dying beloved animals.

 

Brave New World and Alas Babylon are on my top 10 list, I HATED Animal Farm though as well as Lord of the Flies. We will read all of those in later middle and high school.

 

I am the Cheese is one book I read in Lit class, and never actually understood, we won't be reading that or Flower's in the Attic. I don't think he is likely to ever pick them up on his own though!

 

I apologize in advance for poor editing, I typed this on my phone!

 

[Kate in Arabia]

I won't really censor anything from my kids once they are older, but especially for the younger years I am more sensitive about some things that I'd prefer they had more maturity to process. I still have the copies of Narnia that I loved as a child, re-read as an adult and felt broadsided, and will avoid sharing with my kids until they are older. Well, the oldest would probably be fine now but I wouldn't for the youngers.

 

Looking back, there was a lot of characterization as I was growing up of Middle Eastern people/cultures as nefarious, dark and evil and/or dance-of-the-seven-veils types. I don't ban anything that has reference to that, but I am a lot more conscious of it and how my kids are exposed to it.

[momto2Cs]

I won't really censor anything from my kids once they are older, but especially for the younger years I am more sensitive about some things that I'd prefer they had more maturity to process. I still have the copies of Narnia that I loved as a child, re-read as an adult and felt broadsided, and will avoid sharing with my kids until they are older. Well, the oldest would probably be fine now but I wouldn't for the youngers.

 

Looking back, there was a lot of characterization as I was growing up of Middle Eastern people/cultures as nefarious, dark and evil and/or dance-of-the-seven-veils types. I don't ban anything that has reference to that, but I am a lot more conscious of it and how my kids are exposed to it.

 

Interesting. Would you mind sharing what is is about them that you feel should wait until the kids are older?

[Kate in Arabia]

Interesting. Would you mind sharing what is is about them that you feel should wait until the kids are older?

 

I know we've talked about this here before. My objections are mostly in the books with the Calormenes and their depiction.

[momto2Cs]

I know we've talked about this here before. My objections are mostly in the books with the Calormenes and their depiction.

 

 

Okay... I can see having issues with that!

[MidwesternMom]

I read a lot of pure trash from elementary school on: true crime novels, Judy Blume, Judith Krantz, you name it. Never spent time on things like Babysitters Club, I went straight for the bodice-rippers.

 

At the same time, I read anything else I could get my hands on, and that included books I still love to this day: The Good Earth, I Capture the Castle, Rebecca, all the Austen novels, Gone With the Wind. Also, tons and tons of non-fiction.

 

I think that having the experience of being deeply moved by a good book (The Good Earth, Nectar in a Sieve) helped put the "trash" in perspective--some of it fun, some of it worthless. Who could be satisfied with Danielle Steele when Du Maurier was around? Why read Stephen King when Stephen Jay Gould was available?

 

I don't feel that I was led astray by the trash I read. Rather, I think it taught me the value of a really good read--the depth of feeling and the increased knowledge of the breadth of human experience that come from reading good books is the very best defense against the shallower end of the reading world.

 

At the same time, nothing would have pushed me further away from reading classics as a teen than being told I HAD to. And if my parents had set limits like "No Judy Blume" you can bet I would have been out in the barn with my Judy Blume, reading it behind their backs anyway!

[misty.warden]

Things I would *never* allow my ds to read under my roof? Maybe Easy Meat, which was recommended to me as a good "true crime" type book :confused1: Other than that I can't think of any nevers, just "when he's emotionally ready" stages. Reading VC Andrews furtively during a time when your s*xuality is being formed can have some serious effects on future relationships and understanding of how families work, 10year olds probably won't know how to process it. I was a voracious reader and my mom let me read anything up to and including the Anne Rice Sleeping Beauty books as a young teenager, talk about images you'll never get out of your head. Ditto to violence a la Stephen King (my high school favorite author).

 

I'm amused to see Judy Blume so many times on here. Her books, while severely anachronistic at times, were pretty much the go to "what to expect when growing up" readers for my area. Forever always seemed to me as a cautionary tale of why not to get involved early, the boyfriend's devastated reaction was memorable, and rather than the fact that there was s*x, it bothered me more that the protagonist didn't even have the guts to break up with her boyfriend before he was nekkid during the visit and then was implied to go after her camp supervisor for another s*xual relationship. Maybe you had to be there (the 70's?) to understand.

[Forgiven]

I do think books should come with a rating. I'd never let my kids read 50 shades because to me it's porn and I wouldn't let them watch porn, so why should I let them read it. DD (10) wants to read Hunger Games. I'm going to let her, but I was worried about some of the scenes being too violent at first. I've decided to let her read it and if she gets scared, I know she'll tell me. She used to watch the show Grimm with me but it was scaring her, so she told me and we no longer watch it. I don't watch it either. I only watched it because she was interested in it. So I know that she'll let me know if something is too much for her.

 

I don't believe in censorship in general as it pertains to society as a whole, but for my children, I'm their mother and it's my job to make sure they aren't reading books or watching shows, or playing video games that are inappropriate, and I will excersize my right to not allow them to watch, read, or play certain things. My kids have never been able to watch Sponge Bob. They don't care. They know. My youngest, who just turned six, lets everyone know that he isn't allowed. If someone has a party and it's a Sponge Bob theme, he'll go and not take any party favors with Sponge Bob on them because he knows I don't like that show and he's not allowed to watch it. There are shows that my kids watch that I'm sure many parents wouldn't allow their kids to watch. Everyone's standard is different.

 

But this goes with books too. Just because something is a classic or good literature does not mean it's good for my kid to read. Of course my kids are still young. Once they're in High School there will be a lot more that I will allow them to read, watch, and play. No 50 shades though, as I do believe it's equivelent to porn, and I would never allow my kids, even when they're in High School, to read or watch porn.

[wimseycat]

I do think books should come with a rating. I'd never let my kids read 50 shades because to me it's porn and I wouldn't let them watch porn, so why should I let them read it. DD (10) wants to read Hunger Games. I'm going to let her, but I was worried about some of the scenes being too violent at first. I've decided to let her read it and if she gets scared, I know she'll tell me. She used to watch the show Grimm with me but it was scaring her, so she told me and we no longer watch it. I don't watch it either. I only watched it because she was interested in it. So I know that she'll let me know if something is too much for her.

 

I know I already posted this above so sorry to sound like a broken record - there is a new website http://www.wiilitguide.com/index.html that does rate modern teen books. The reviews are mostly by homeschooling parents (myself included). The books are broken down by Drugs/Alcohol Use, Religion/Occult, Violence/Abuse, Romance/Sexuality, Vulgarity and Literary Artistry. There is also a place for the reviewer to comment and talk about the themes in each book. In addition, the webowner has also set up a forum to discuss teen novels (questions, concerns, recommendations etc...) Feel free to check it out! We really want this site to grow and develop into a great resource for parents and the more contributors the better!

 

And BTW, Hunger Games is reviewed on there. I plan on reviewing the other two books in the series as well. One of the things we have come across with teen series fiction is that sometimes the first book is relatively benign but subsequent books can become darker or more intense in subject matter (like Twilight.) By only reviewing the first book and giving it a pass it may seem like we think the whole series is okay even if it may not be. That is why going forward we will review all books in a series that have one, continuous story arc.

[Homemama2]

Brave New World - It was required reading in high school, and I hate the book to this day. I understand the point that was being made, but I don't believe in this case the ends justify the means. The book stole my innocence and I will never get over some of the mental images from it. I found it trashy.

 

This. I think for me it would be more of a case of what books am I not going to assign to my kids as required reading for school. Brave New World was required for my senior year lit. class. I remember being totally shocked that the school would assign it. It was the book that our AP essay test was on that year so apparently a lot of schools were assigning it.

 

The other book that we were required to read in 10th or 11th that really bothered me was Heart of Darkness. I'm not sure why I was SO upset by it b/c I just re-read it this year and actually liked it/saw the point of why it had been assigned. I think the issue was that I was just too young. The only thing I remembered from that book was the heads on the posts, and how horrified I was about that.

 

Books like Stephen King, I read on my own and was able to self censor. When everyone went through a S. King phase during high school, I liked a lot of them (Carrie, Pet Sem., and several others.) But "It" gave me horrible nightmares and I quit reading it. Heart of Darkness actually affected me the same way, but I had to read it all for school. (Once again, re-reading HOD makes me wonder what was the big deal. But I guess kids sometimes view things differently than adults, so I want to keep this in mind for what I assign my kids.)

 

ETA: Lord of the Flies was actually one of my favorite books that we had to read for school....I think I better go re-read that one and see what was in it since I see people listing that on here. :o

[Paige]

I read Atwood's Handmaid's Tale when it came out. When I wanted to read it for a class, my teacher read the back cover (all about the ceremony) and made my mom give written permission, thinking it was some random smutty book.

 

 

 

 

If I was teaching a class with kids under 16-17 or maybe even anyone under college age, I would require parental permission too if someone wanted to read the Handmaid's Tale. It's definitely not smut but it is all about s#x. It is about horrible male/female relationships. I would want to make sure that the parent was ok with it. If my own child under 16-17 wanted to read it, I'd consider it based on his or her maturity. My 11yr old DS is not ready but he could probably handle it in a few years. Of course, he'd never want to read it right now either and probably won't ever want to read it.

[stripe]

If I was teaching a class with kids under 16-17 or maybe even anyone under college age, I would require parental permission too if someone wanted to read the Handmaid's Tale. It's definitely not smut but it is all about s#x. It is about horrible male/female relationships. I would want to make sure that the parent was ok with it. If my own child under 16-17 wanted to read it, I'd consider it based on his or her maturity. My 11yr old DS is not ready but he could probably handle it in a few years. Of course, he'd never want to read it right now either and probably won't ever want to read it.

It was for independent reading and had not yet become famous, just for clarity's sake. My teacher had never heard of it and seemed to think it was basically "Fifty Shades of Gray." My mother was totally bemused by the whole thing.

 

My point was actually that I read plenty of books (including Handmaid's Tale) that were not the best for me at the age I read them. I also remember struggling through Heart of Darkness (another independent pick).

 

Looking back, there was a lot of characterization as I was growing up of Middle Eastern people/cultures as nefarious, dark and evil and/or dance-of-the-seven-veils types. I don't ban anything that has reference to that, but I am a lot more conscious of it and how my kids are exposed to it.

I actually have been amused at some of the glowingly positive or otherwise genuinely interesting Arab depictions -- there was definitely a period of fascination and "ooh, exotic" type of outlook at other periods. If you want an example, try the Arab characters in Beyond the Paw Paw Trees, who are at worst a bit strange (with their salaaming all over the place) but definitely not dangerous or lecherous.

 

Tons of really weird African/African American and Asian/Asian American characters, too. I remember once wanting to see Breakfast at Tiffany's. When Mickey Rooney's yellow face popped up, I gasped, and turned it off. I had the same reaction to an episode of Mr Magoo I borrowed from the library (another one of those "let's eat lice!" type of horrible Asian accents) and A Cricket in Times Square.

[Based on Faith Academy]

I'm still curious about which books you find inappropriate so I can have an idea which ones I might not want to encourage. I never had to read Brave New World or Lord of the Flies for school. My assigned reading was more like Of Mice and Men, The Great Gatsby, A Tale of Two Cities. I don't remember anything particularly bad in those. Is there anything I should be aware of?

 

I guess for me I can't really say too many books specifically. I know there just seems to be books that I read in school that when I went to read them again I couldn't believe the story line or the words in them.

I know some of them are not "classics" but were required reading when I was in school. Besides the books that I know kids have to read in ps. I couldn't believe the books they make young teens read in school when I used to babysit this family of four. Any book that doesn't promote "honesty", "integrity", "respect", or goes against the "Ten Commandments" is NOT something I want my children to read. If there are "issues" in the book that my child can understand and is not glorified in the book, I am alright to an extent with him reading it as long as there a lesson to be learned about the "issue".