The list of banned books is here
Read em while you can
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I’m not for banning books by any measure. I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.
However, I’ve read all the Court of Thorns and Roses series and it does contain some pretty explicit sexual scenes and themes. I probably wouldn’t want a child reading them until they were old enough to understand the use of sex in stories like this, and how you can tell the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. The books in my opinion are very fun reads, but I feel that they were written primarily for an adult audience.
No idea when a kid should start reading ACOTAR, as again I don’t have kids. I’m not the right person to ask, but I’d argue that readers should be at least high school age for that series.
I haven’t read any of the other books on that list, so I can’t speak to those. It’s very evident that whoever assembled that list isn’t well read, because there’s oodles more books with much worse content than ACOTAR that aren’t banned. Off the top from books I read back in high school: American Psycho, Clockwork Orange, Blood Meridian, the list goes on…
I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.
“I don’t mind living in a dystopian shithole” vibes
Bit of a leap there, but hey, if you’ve got kids and you want them to read those books then I don’t think anyone should be able to stop you. Your kid, your choice.
My only point is that I’d want to make sure my kid, if I had one, was able to understand the themes in the book before reading.
I was also making a point about other books with more violent or pornographic content not being on this reactionary banned book list, but everyone seems to have overlooked that. Oh well.
My children are grown, graduated and productive members of society. Still doesn’t stop me for advocating for literacy and access for the next generations. If you want to live in a dystopian hellhole, only care about you and yours and see how far it gets you.
I’m glad you’d care about your kid, you should care about society’s kids, because it’s society that will keep the hospitals open etc.
I was also making a point about other books with more violent or pornographic content not being on this reactionary banned book list, but everyone seems to have overlooked that. Oh well.
see this is the part that falls flat for me. You’ve been to a library before right?
maybe?
See, they have these things, called LIBRARIANS. And Librarians know what’s in their collections.
Do you really think the librarians are pushing printed smut on the kiddos?
Or could it just, maybe just possibly, be yet another culture war canard of BULLSHIT the right is pushing because they don’t LIKE FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION, LGBTQ folk etc - and are trying to suppress anything not chirstofascist?
USE YOUR FUCKING MELON.
“oh well”
yeah fuck that, it’s easy to moan and go “what about the children” - WHAT ABOUT THE CHILDREN GETTING A FUCKING EDUCATION AND PEOPLE STOP FUCKING WITH LIBRARIANS?
oh well. fucking hell
Kids really start with relationships in middle school and by high school they are sexually active. There’s nothing in ACOTAR that would surprise an American high school kid.
I also don’t have kids, so I don’t really have a dog in this fight.
not really how it works.
you may never be going to school again, but it is still in your best interest to have good schools funded. they generate engineers that will invent new things you use and doctors who will one day take care of your heart attack.
and it is in your best interest not to be surrounded by idiots, to which reading books is part of the process.
I probably wouldn’t want a child reading them until they were old enough
Aren’t that the republicans who spout nonsense like “i ain’t co-parenting with the government”?
So maybe leave what books to read and when up to specific schools/parents/kids.
I mean. That’s what I was saying? I’m not in favor of book bans, I’m in favor of parents being aware of the content their kids are consuming. If you as a parent want your kids to read ACOTAR, then that’s your call. I’m not in favor of book bans or the government telling you what you can or can’t read. Not sure where all this hostility is coming from.
I mean. That’s what I was saying?
first, you presented the fact you don’t have kids, as if it somehow made you impartial in the discussion - i explained that is really not the case.
then you said “i am not for banning books, however…” and then you spent 3 paragraphs explaining why you consider these books really problematic for kids.
and as the aphorism says, anything before “but” does not really count 🤷♂️
Edit: misread your initial point. Sorry! I think the main thing is talking to kids, giving them context and content warnings, knowing their maturity level and and letting them in most cases lead the way about what they’re okay with reading within reason, while answering their questions about sex, violence, relationships, etc. Kids tend to put back books they’re not ready for.
So, it’s not like these are part of any curriculum. No one is making, suggesting, recommending, or encouraging kids to read these books. So the ban is just simply censorship. (Except the list of banned books is sort of a recommendation in its own way.)
No matter what they say, this isn’t about kids in any way. It’s not about protecting them from things they aren’t mature enough for. It’s not restricting them to a certain grade level. It’s outright censorship and it’s fucking bullshit.
Free speech in USA is a joke, it’s both poorly protected and poorly regulated at the same time. Worst of both worlds!
So. I have this… Stance. Humanity has at no point evolved past tribalism. We all live in tribes. The tribe with the most power waxes poetic about the importance of free speech, but the truth is, they only allow as much free speech as allows their tribe to maintain their position. All the rest of our tribes can squabble over whatever remaining scraps of power are left after the controlling tribe is full up.
That’s certainly true for some people.
But I don’t see the Democrats out there banning books.
Speak for yourself. I’m all for banning ghostwritten books by conservative talking heads so they can launder money and game bestseller lists.
Sigh. Way to guarantee all the young adults are going to read the Twilight of shitty vanilla fairy melodramas.
Reading is something for everyone and anyone to enjoy. while a piece of art could have technical flaws and shortcomings, if someone enjoys it GREAT. We all like liking things. Don’t shame them for liking something just because it makes you feel more well read.
Maas is over-saturated and sucking the oxygen out of the room for people writing better things in the same genre. l will* die on that molehill. Any day of the week. Twice on Saturdays.
And as a side note, I like trashy novels? But its disingenuous to throw Court of Mist and Fury up against Anna Karenina and say these are equal works. Like whatever you like—it’s fun to read self indulgent stuff, but also remember it is good to challenge yourself a bit from time to time.
No one is comparing those things You just came out and shat on an author and her gaining new readers. People who may suddenly discover a genre they love. You can have a correct opinion but still be a pretentious twat.
Its also OK to point out when a piece of literature is badly written and, subjectively, not very good. The person you responded to was shitting on the work, you inferred the shame on the reader. One should not feel that a criticism of a work (however well founded the criticism is) is an attack or attempt to shame someone just because they happen to like it.
There are plenty of works that are popular but written like shit. Its fine to like them, and its fine to point out how the writing style is bad. As another example, Ready player one is somehow a popular story even though the writing is terrible. I would never shame someone for reading it, but I’m also not going to pretend like its a good book or not full of lazy references to popular media properties.
While I hate this, I’m left wondering why we even mention the authors gender.
Is it to indicate that lawmakers go against women’s freedoms?
Yes. A lot of book bans have been focused on books written by women and minorities.
