Books you would NOT SUGGEST to your kids. Why? At what age would you recommend it?

[Meadow337]

As a kid I steadily worked my way through my Dad's extensive collection of books that were for some unknown reason kept in the garage (I suspect they simply never got unpacked after a move). I read all his sci-fi books and westerns going from Asimov to Zane Grey. I was never told not read them but, as per the Dracula story above, there were some I'm sure I wasn't supposed to be reading. I also read all my mom's anthropology / sociology / psychology books - Ascent of Man, Tao of Pooh, and some feminist literature. I didn't always understand everything in them .... but I read them. Now that I think about it it was kind of weird, we had all these books but I don't remember ever once talking to my parents about any of the ideas in them.

 

[Bullyboy]

I know that feeling Meadow. I remember reading Richard Wright. The opening chapters have him burning down his grandmother's house, becoming a child drunkard, and hanging out with neighborhood kids eavesdropping on the local brothel. Not the kind of things you discuss with your parent...even though it's their book. But wow, this beat the behootie out of Beverly Cleary, you're going to figure out what it means.

 

[Meadow337]

I know that feeling Meadow. I remember reading Richard Wright. The opening chapters have him burning down his grandmother's house, becoming a child drunkard, and hanging out with neighborhood kids eavesdropping on the local brothel. Not the kind of things you discuss with your parent...even though it's their book. But wow, this beat the behootie out of Beverly Cleary, you're going to figure out what it means.

lol that would clearly fall into the category of books you weren't supposed to be reading