Can books really talk about ANYTHING?

[N]

Personally I disliked Lolita and the End of Alice, both were books about paedophilia and made me feel ill, I do however think that no topic should be taboo, every subject should be written about and explored.

[Stacy]

I have only read 1 book that I feel actually made me ill. I also believe like Damian that there should at least be a warning in the back somewhere if its that explicit . I don't believe ANY subject is Taboo, but I do feel that the person buying it should have the chance to make an informed decision whether they want to read about it.

[[deleted user]]

Maybe books should have a rating system like they have with movies and t v shows. And should include information like if the book includes violence or sex in it. Then the reader knows a little bit more about the book and whether to buy it or not.

[Paganalexandria]

I think books can, and should explore any subject. At the same time, everything hinges on the author's skill level, how I feel about the trip taken. I personally do not have to agree with the thoughts to appreciate a look at another viewpoint.

[N]

I read Lolita because I was doing the top 100 book challenge and I knew what it was about but I didn't realise how much it would affect me (my daughter was 12 at the time). The End of Alice was on a book review show and I fell for the 'refreshing honesty dealing with difficult matetial' blurb the host was going on about. I also hate it when the dog dies in any book, pretty much every darn book where a dog is in it I'm bracing myself for it's death!

I hqve read books about high school massacre (we need to talk about Kevin) sibling donors (my sister's keeper) old people abuse (evening is the whole day) Compulsive eating disorder (sister India) anorexia (thin) ahh I could go on and on! I love books, stories and reading, I'd hate for anyone to tell me what I couldn't read.

[Daniel]

A book deals with whatever the writer wishes to write about. Many have been burned across the world, many banned and many are viewed with dislike for a variety of reasons mostly concerned with the mores of the times.

The key concern is to deal honestly with human experience when writing about such subjects.

[Aiysic]

I agree that it's all about how the author tells the story. It only becomes sordid if it wasn't executed well. I just read "Forbidden" by Tabitha Suzuma. It's about an incestuous relationship between siblings. It was completely horrifying and devastating at the same time. Yeah, the subject is totally gross but the book was written well. You can't help but feel for the characters. So an open mind is needed for this book haha