Thursday, July 10, 2008

Whatever happened to innocuous Superfudge and Ramona and Laura Ingalls Wilder?

So, I've been reading this weekly column on Jezebel where the journalist re-reads a YA book from her youth and reviews it. It's been really interesting and I have not even read or even heard of all the books they've done. But I have come to the realization that, if ever I have a daughter, I am so reading any book that is a YA or adult book before she gets to touch it. Because tons of those books have some sexual content, like people getting raped or masturbating or something (i.e. Julie of the Wolves, anything by VC Andrews, The Clan of the Cave Bear). Some of the worst ones seem to be ones I've not read, but I remember reading Judy Blume's YA books and they were always informative. When I was like 12, I found The Prince of Tides on my mom's bookshelf in her closet and I read it without her even realizing it. It was...disturbing. But anyway, I know my mom did not even look at the books I was reading once I was past like 8 or 9. Thusly, I managed to learn some things. I don't think that was necessarily bad, but I do know that had my parents read what I was reading, I would not have been allowed to read some of it. That is scary to me now, when it would have thrilled me then. But I'll always have Anne of Green Gables.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Yeah, Zoe doesn't read anything like that. She just wants to read Hannah Montana books. Sigh.

Andrea Benz said...

At least you can rest easy in the knowledge that there is nothing inappropriate in those(other than the requisite objectification of women and the lust for status symbol merchandise). Maybe she'll get interested in real books someday.

Unknown said...

Well, she likes the Harry Potter books. Those have actual story lines...