Banned Books discussion
GENERAL BOOK DISCUSSIONS
>
What book has given you the most flack?
date
newest »
newest »
Mod
Anyway, I think Harry Potter has given me the most flack. When I would call me a loser in middle school for being so devoted to ..."
Even if the HP books were for little kids, NO ONE has the right to demean you and give you flack for what you are reading. I read and write reviews for a lot of picture books, and I certainly do not appreciate the fact that I sometimes get weird looks and flack for that.
Amanda & Gundula: Amen! And btw, thank you for not butchering me for those typos (which I just corrected) =P. Anyway, very well said. People seem to miss the bigger picture. Fortunately, I don't give them flack for that
Gundula wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Kim wrote: "I've get flack for reading in general. Isn't that sad? Anyway, I think Harry Potter has given me the most flack. When I would call me a loser in middle school for being..."
As a mom of a five year old I can get away with reading picture books :) but not so much the YA at times. Which is sad because honestly there's a hell of a lot better YA and more of it than there ever was when I was a teen!
Mod
Anyway, I think Harry Potter has given me the most flack. When I would call me a loser in middle ..."
One of the reasons why I sometimes like reading children's fiction and YA fiction better than adult fiction, is because these books often have a much better storyline and plot than many adult novels who often are experimental. That being said, I read a lot of different types of fiction, and non-fiction as well, including literary analyses, so my reading tastes are quite eclectic.
Gundula wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Gundula wrote: "Amanda wrote: "Kim wrote: "I've get flack for reading in general. Isn't that sad? Anyway, I think Harry Potter has given me the most flack. When I would call me a l..."
Oh same here I read a lot of everything both fiction and nonfiction, granted I have a higher reading prefrence for horror and fantasy over a lot of other things as far as fiction and biographies as far as nonfiction.
I am an older mom with younger kids who has read the Harry Potter books repeatedly. They arent just kids lit, the are good lit that is directed at kids. I also have read Rick Riordan's Olympus books several times each. I also go back frequently and read the books I loved my from youth, esp Louisa May Alcott and Rudyard Kipling. Nothing makes me madder than to hear good books dismissed as kids lit, or to suggest there is not value in reading it.
Mod
Hear, hear, I second that very, very strongly.
Meg wrote: "I am an older mom with younger kids who has read the Harry Potter books repeatedly. They arent just kids lit, the are good lit that is directed at kids. I also have read Rick Riordan's Olympus boo..."Just because a book may be aimed at a primary audience does not mean at all that a secondary audience cannot also enjoy it.
Good point Joseph. I'm past middle school age, but I have read sevreal excellent books aimed primarily at that age.Some recent ones that I really enjoyed:
and there's more where those came from. It hasn't been that long since I was in middle school, but the quality has been upped since then.
So I guess the point in that longish post was that it's sad that people would close off a book just because they think it's below them. Being a literary snob is not the way to go (they miss so many good books).
The YA thing is a result of marketing. Look how they can change a cover and suddenly the same book can be found in the adult section.We do have to be aware that everyone has different tastes though...but when someone's tastes, mixed with their personality, make them feel they can ridicule another readers choice they are just being an arse. If however the same differing tastes meet with more civil folk involved and a healthy banter over books results, then, more power to them.
It's the arrogant snobbery that pisses me off. The instant dismissal of someones reading choice due to fashion or media hype also.
If I think Lord Of The Rings, or Harry Potter, is a dreadful bore and I see someone reading it, if I know them, some playful chat may ensue. But that is informed by my having read them too. If they're reading Twilight, as I've not read those books, the conversation would be different as it would if they were reading any other genre I wouldn't normally read.
But that to me is the big thing, the conversation over books...not the sneering contempt that we have probably all been on the receiving end of due to reading unfashionable lit...now I must away, coffee and comix await.
Kim wrote: "I've gotten flack for reading in general. Isn't that sad?"As Saint Bill said: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvs2g5...
Mod
I got in trouble for reading all the time when I was a kid. However, it was because I read too much and I didn't do other things like play outside and get fresh air and exercise, or do my homework, or do chores. Also, reading in class under the table wasn't received well.
Gundula wrote: "But seriously, the fact that you tried to read Lady Chatterly's Lover at 15 and got bored is telling. I'm actually quite certain that many, if not most children and teenagers will not enjoy books they really are not ready for yet, and will often quit reading them."
Hee hee, I was bored by it at about the same age because it was really tame and I was reading it for the smut.
I also agree that many children's books are much better than adult books. I actually heard an author once say that he thought writing a book for kids would be a breeze until he actually did it and found that the expectations and quality had to be much higher and he found that really hard.
Banned Books
Books mentioned in this topic
Dave Barry's Complete Guide to Guys (other topics)Sh*t My Dad Says (other topics)
The Candy Shop War (other topics)
The Roar (other topics)
The Mysterious Benedict Society and the Perilous Journey (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
Karl Marx (other topics)Tom Clancy (other topics)
Anyway, I think Harry Potter has given me the most flack. When I would call me a loser in middle school for being so devoted to the series. ..."
I despise the amount of people that put adults down for reading Harry Potter! Gah! They're not little kid books they're fantasy and some of the best books of the genre out there! Don't demean my intelligence and maturity because you have the wrong idea!