B Quast answers “Would you say this book is appropriate for...”

Paula Nevins asked this question about The Road:

Would you say this book is appropriate for a 15 year old boy? He needs something for an English essay that he can read independently and compare to its movie version. Thoughts or recommendations on something better would be appreciated.

B Quast While I completely loved this book and the experience it gave me, I am not sure I would recommend it for a 15 year old. The beauty of the book for me …moreWhile I completely loved this book and the experience it gave me, I am not sure I would recommend it for a 15 year old. The beauty of the book for me personally was the viewpoint of the father. It would be an incredibly empathetic 15 year old who would be able to feel the magic of the book from that viewpoint.

I read that McCarthy wrote the book as a sort of "love letter" to his young son, even fashioning some of the book's conversations from his own interactions with his son at a similar age. McCarthy was surprised how many fathers had the same reaction to his book. They read the book in a sitting, then held their children and cried, and then for the first time in their lives, wrote to an author. However, I'm not sure how powerful the book would be for a 15 year old who might experience the journey only from the son's point of view, and that would be a shame if he never got to experience the book from the other side.

I am very curious whether there are any people who have read the book as a child and then read the book again as a parent. Is the powerful emotional effect muted on a second reading later in life from the other perspective? I don't know if it is enough of a masterpiece that it would be equally rewarding.(less)

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