Limiting What Teens Read

Dear Parent,

I am truly sad that you took your daughter out of my teen reading group, because she brought home a book that you do not approve of. As a parent, I understand how you want to protect your child and reinforce the values you teach in your home.

At the same time, I understand your daughter’s desire to explore and understand herself and her world. The book she chose to borrow from the ones that I offered to the group was similar to ones written by her favorite author, and yes, that author tackles issues that can frighten us parents.

We may fear that young teens are vulnerable and impressionable so we should keep books away from them. But reading about teens caught up in drugs, or navigating sexuality, is a safe way for good kids to explore these choices without doing it themselves.

Many teen writers I know feel a deep commitment to being honest with kids and showing them the disquieting rush that drugs or casual sex offer as well as the consequences. It is almost unimaginable that a teen reading CRANK would want to do the drug after seeing the hell that the main character and her family go through.

While these books may feel like an assault on your family values, it is unlikely that your daughter will abandon what you’ve taught her. She will read these books through the lens of her religious and moral upbringing. She is a great kid, and nothing in the books she reads is going to turn her into someone else.

I wish that you could find it within yourself to read one of the books she loves all the way to the end and then discuss it with her. I am sure that her maturity and perspective would impress you.

Sincerely,

Catherine Linka