Appropriate Reading Material for Teen?

E

EricaH

Cathlete
My ds is almost 15 years old and was given a summer reading assignment. I'm already very opposed to summer homework, but bought the assigned book and started reading it myself because I was curious about the book.

I've read 30 pages of the book and have already read about cheerleaders sleeping with the football team and getting "group-rate abortions", Trojans,and have seen the words b-tch and a$$hole.

I'm not a prude, but I do feel that there is PLENTY of good literature out there that doesn't have this kind of content. I was wondering what others feel about this book selection and if they would just go along with it or complain.

By the way, the title of this book is "Speak."

ETA - I looked ahead in the book and read that the main character (high school girl) gets raped after being at a party where there was drinking.

Thanks,
Erica
 
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So why don't you call your public library and speak to the youth service librarian (many libraries have teen librarians) who can make recommendations and know what the kids are reading so you can appropriate alternatives.
 
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EricaH said:
My ds is almost 15 years old and was given a summer reading assignment. I'm already very opposed to summer homework, but bought the assigned book and started reading it myself because I was curious about the book.

I've read 30 pages of the book and have already read about cheerleaders sleeping with the football team and getting "group-rate abortions", Trojans,and have seen the words b-tch and a$$hole.

I'm not a prude, but I do feel that there is PLENTY of good literature out there that doesn't have this kind of content. I was wondering what others feel about this book selection and if they would just go along with it or complain.

By the way, the title of this book is "Speak."

ETA - I looked ahead in the book and read that the main character (high school girl) gets raped after being at a party where there was drinking.

Thanks,
Erica
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I would go and speak with the teacher/school administrator and ask what the purpose is for assigning this type of reading assignment then ask for other alternatives explaining that as his parent you find this totally unacceptable for your son to read. I would not go along with something that was against what I believe is right for my child or my family and no I would not go along with this. I would complain. Good luck.
 
EricaH said:
My ds is almost 15 years old and was given a summer reading assignment. I'm already very opposed to summer homework, but bought the assigned book and started reading it myself because I was curious about the book.
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Wow!!! This was an assigned book?!! I would have major problems with that, but I have to admit I am a bit of a prude when it comes to my kids. My son is only 8 but he reads at a higher level and has read some of these. I consider these more of teen books but I'm older (34) and not that "down with it" as far as what is "cool" for kids today. But these are what I would reccomend. Some of these I read in high school.

The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Book 1) by Rick Riordan this is a set
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke this is a trilogy
Harry Potter series
Jurrassic Park
The Education of Little Tree
The Lord of the Flies
The Painted House -John Grisham
To Kill a Mockingbird

I always read a book before I give it to my son. Just to be sure. You never know. Hope this helps.
 
Hi Erica. What kind of books does your son like? Has she read the Left Behind Series? Jory likes anything by Alton Gasky. The Shack was good too.:)
 
EricaH said:
My ds is almost 15 years old and was given a summer reading assignment. I'm already very opposed to summer homework, but bought the assigned book and started reading it myself because I was curious about the book.

I've read 30 pages of the book and have already read about cheerleaders sleeping with the football team and getting "group-rate abortions", Trojans,and have seen the words b-tch and a$$hole.

I'm not a prude, but I do feel that there is PLENTY of good literature out there that doesn't have this kind of content. I was wondering what others feel about this book selection and if they would just go along with it or complain.

By the way, the title of this book is "Speak."

ETA - I looked ahead in the book and read that the main character (high school girl) gets raped after being at a party where there was drinking.

Thanks,
Erica
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Wow! I'd like to know if the teacher even read the book before assigning it. A big :( for her.
 
I think if you are bothered you should speak with the teacher and get his/her thoughts. Books are supposed to provoke discussion. :)

Also, I think that context matters. What is the story about? Is it barely above pornography and designed only to titillate or repulse or is there a greater lesson within that the author is trying to convey to a teen audience? It may be a good opportunity for some interesting and provocative talks between you and your daughter. One of the many things I am grateful to my mom and dad for is that they never said "you can't read that" to me. I always read above grade level, and went to my mom with questions on the stories that probably made her hair stand on end. :) But she answered my questions honestly and age-appropriately, and I've turned out just fine. :)

What does your daughter think about all this if I may ask?
 
Melanie - This particular book was assigned to ds - we don't have a choice on what book he can read for the summer assignment. When school starts, he will be tested on his knowledge of this book and then there will be class discussion, etc.

Sparrow - I believe that you are right that there is probably a "greater lesson within that the author is trying to convey to a teen audience" and that, by reading this book, ds may come to us with some questions which could lead to some interesting conversations. As I said earlier, I'm not a prude, but I just don't feel a book with this content should be required reading by the school when there is other literature they could be reading. Like your parents, I don't keep books from my kids, but this is not the type of book ds would have picked up on his own (I'm pretty sure it's targeted to girls).

Thank you everyone for your opinions! It's hard to know if I'm overreacting or not, and it's nice to get feedback from others. :) I don't really know what I can do about this since it's summer and I don't know who I can contact. Even if the administration agreed with me that the book is inappropriate for school, they would have to contact all of the students and change the assignment. Plus, I worry about the teachers taking things out on my kids if I complain too much (I've already made a big stink about the summer homework - not the reading part so much, but the pages and pages of written work that go along with the reading).

Thanks again!!

Erica
 
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Erica, I really understand how you feel! :) I honestly would be grateful that this was an assignment given over the summer - that way you can be the one to have great conversations with DS about the content of this book, and perhaps that was what his teacher planned. I went to Amazon to look up the reviews of this book to see what it was about, and it seems there is a greater point to it; it's not just trash so to speak. It seems to spark much thought and can be a great conversational piece. I have had to have so many talks with DD about things I wish she had never even heard about, but handling these things in a very calm, honest, and (as hard as it is) objective way really helps her to build her own convictions and recognize cause and effect, actions and consequences for herself. She is making better decisions than many of her friends are now as they are entering the world of boysfriends/dating and I really think that it's because I have been open and don't freak out about things so we are able talk about anything. I don't know if you are spiritual at all, but I also rely a great deal on God to show me what to do. We can only protect them from this world for so long; we can't control what they see, hear or do, and the truth is that what is in that book are probably things that he has already seen and heard about already. The best we can do is guide them and take every opportunity (like this one) to train their precious minds in the path that they should go, and they won't part from it.

Good luck :)

Melissa
 
I'm really not a big fan of censorship. In some cultures - even some cultures embedded in North American society - 14 years old is an adult. The things that are mentioned that are included in the book are realities for teens and all of us- swearing is beyond common, rape is a serious crime that is committed every day, teenage promiscuity is almost standard, abortions are legal but extremely controversial. All of these are worthy of discussion and thought. If your teenage son isn't discussing these things with you, I guarantee he is discussing them with someone, and I believe he should be. It is the role of teenagers in our society to be the questioners of the status quo- those that say, "it shouldn't be this way; let's fix it". Knowledge is extemely important in that process- and part of knowledge is being exposed to other people's thoughts, opinions and beliefs, even if they make us uncomfortable.
 
Have you gone beyond the words to see what the message of the book might be? Here's a review. It doesn't seem like the author is trying to glamorize any of the aspects that you've mentioned:

From Publishers Weekly
In a stunning first novel, Anderson uses keen observations and vivid imagery to pull readers into the head of an isolated teenager. Divided into the four marking periods of an academic year, the novel, narrated by Melinda Sordino, begins on her first day as a high school freshman. No one will sit with Melinda on the bus. At school, students call her names and harass her; her best friends from junior high scatter to different cliques and abandon her. Yet Anderson infuses the narrative with a wit that sustains the heroine through her pain and holds readers' empathy. A girl at a school pep rally offers an explanation of the heroine's pariah status when she confronts Melinda about calling the police at a summer party, resulting in several arrests. But readers do not learn why Melinda made the call until much later: a popular senior raped her that night and, because of her trauma, she barely speaks at all. Only through her work in art class, and with the support of a compassionate teacher there, does she begin to reach out to others and eventually find her voice. Through the first-person narration, the author makes Melinda's pain palpable: "I stand in the center aisle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special." Though the symbolism is sometimes heavy-handed, it is effective. The ending, in which her attacker comes after her once more, is the only part of the plot that feels forced. But the book's overall gritty realism and Melinda's hard-won metamorphosis will leave readers touched and inspired.
 
At the very least, there should have been a second book assigned in which the protagonist is a male. It is fairly well-documented that teenaged male readers are short-changed in appropriate, educational fiction to which they can relate, but there are good books out there, both classic 20th century fiction and contemporary fiction, with which boys can more successfully identify.

OP, I'm not a parent so I feel I'm unqualified to offer even the most mealy-mouthed opinion on whether or not your son's assigned book is appropriate in a general or specific sense. However, my father, who has taught English Education curriculum and instruction to budding elementary, middle-school and high school teachers on the undergraduate, graduate and PhD level for over 40 years is a great devotee' of the late author Robert Cormier, whose books were directed toward young adults. "The Chocolate War" and "I Am The Cheese" are two of his best-known books. These too remain controversial, more because the themes are about challenging authority rather than sexual and emotional coming-of-age. And male children and male teens comprise the major and minor characters in each of these novels (he wrote many others, I might add).

Interesting dilemma.

A-Jock
 
Yuck. I don't think I even want to read that book now let alone when I was a teen. That sounds horrible. I'm sorry I don't have a bunch of great suggestions. I was reading a lot of science fiction by Assimov at that age. I don't know if your kid would like it.
 
Thanks again everyone! Very interesting to read the different responses. :)

A-Jock - parent or not, your opinion was very welcome and I appreciate it.
Especially with your dad's background. I'm pretty sure that my three teen boys have all read "The Chocolate War."

Morningstar - I'm not a big fan of censorship either and I am very open with my kids and don't get embarrassed or uncomfortable when they ask questions. I have three teen boys (and a little girl) and my son that is supposed to read this book is still very naive and innocent and I am sure that he is not discussing these subjects with his peers. This book is going to be quite an education.

Melissa - I do agree that this book will give me the opportunity to talk to my ds about subjects that maybe we wouldn't have discussed if he didn't have to read this book. Still, I don't like that the school is forcing these discussions on us - I feel that it's not the school's responsibility and especially not during the summer when school isn't even in session.

Erica
 
Hi, Erica

If it was my child I would read the book all the way through and make a judgement based on what I know about my child. If the material is not prurient--and this may be in the eye of the beholder, or reader--and you feel your child is ready for it, than make that choice. If you don't think it is the right material than don't let him read it.

There is a value to censorship--a statement I'm sure many will misconstrue--since it is impossible to unread or unsee something. Bottom line, you know your son, no one else does. I don't know if you are with his father or not, but if it was me, I'd discuss it with my husband, since my dh is level headed and also sincerely invested in what is best for our children.

For the record, I've not read the book, though I remember reading the reviews on Amazon when I was looking for a book for my then 12-year-old daughter's book club. At the time I felt it was very inappropriate for her and her maturity level, but thought it might be a possible choice in a few years when the subject matter could be discussed in a mature manner.

Good luck, sometimes being a parent is tough!
 
If this is "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, then absolutely you should have your teen read it, and so should you. It is hands down one of the best books for and about teens ever written.

What you have to remember is that just because some characters in a book condone and participate in certain behaviours, does not mean that either the protagonist nor the author do or will.

The author sets up a common scene in a high school against which she will set the actions and attitudes of her protagonist, in contrast. And if you think the kind of behaviours taking place in the novel are not going on at almost every high school in this nation, you have another think coming!

The novel narrates the trauma suffered by a girl at the end of a school year and what happens to her, as a result, during the next school year. She is raped at the end of one school year at a school members' party and she calls the police down upon the party, but really to protect herself. As a result, no-one at the school will talk to her the next year and she is not only traumatized by the rape, but also ostracized by her fellow school mates.

The title stems from the young girl's challenge that year: to find a way to vocalize her trauma and inform her family of what has happened to her and why her personality seems to have changed over night. She finds her medium for speaking through art.

If it a haunting and lyrical novel that plays around with chronology, we learn little bit by little bit exactly what happened to this girl, which mirrors her pathway to finding out how to speak about it.

A film was made of the novel, also entitled Speak and it is equally fabulous and moving. It stars Kristen Stewart of twilight fame, but she is better in this. The supporting cast features actors you will recognize, Steve Zahn among them. It is worth watching.

Clare
 
EricaH said:
Melissa... I don't like that the school is forcing these discussions on us - I feel that it's not the school's responsibility...

Erica
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I totally agree with you!!! I home school our two boys for this reason (or at least one of the many). My oldest DD goes to public school, but she is way more emotionally mature and savvy. She has been aware of these things (in Speak) since she was very young just by picking up conversations going on around her while DS doesn't get things that are dancing on his face. Boys definitely don't mature like girls do. ;)

Melissa
 
I would not be happy about this book...I think if the school is going to determine what books need to be read over the summer there are A LOT of good books that are not so controversial. This could have been on a seperate list as extra reading but not required. I think some people forget that just because a teenager is a certain age does not mean they are mature enough to handle some of these topics. My daughter who is 14 could read it and we could discuss but she is very mature for her age. Other children her age and older may not be and it SHOULD NOT be required reading.

My son who is 10 years old has to read 6 books this summer but it up to him what he reads. Then he has to write a one paragraph about each book. (I am all for this assignment....keeps kids reading).

Just my two cents....

Therese
 
Nowadays 15 is the new 21

Hi -
I have a huge family with cousins every age. I can tell you that both of my 13 year old cousins come talk to me about things they are too embarassed to talk to their parents about. They tell me stories about their friends and kids they go to school with, and it is like an episode of sex and the city.

Sex, drugs, parties it's all happening with children as young as 12. I don;t think these are things that we can hide from kids, especially when they are surrounded by it everyday. I think we need to be the ones to educate and bring up these subjects so that they are well informed and not surprised if they find themselves in a situation they dont understand.

Obviously there are lines, but these days, the lines are so blurred, I would rather my family know too much and make an educated choice, then too little and just follow their friends.
 
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