NationStates Jolt Archive

Recently there was a "Worst Book" thread. Around the same time, I read an old column by Russell Baker about a school named after Mark Twain banning Huckleberry Finn. Something Baker said made me think, which was that he agreed, the book should not be on the curriculum, but not because it could be considered racist, but because fourteen-year-olds would not be mature enough to understand Twain's themes, end up hating the book, and never take a second shot at what nearly everyone considers one of America's greatest novels (I haven't read it myself, so I can't speak for it).

This leads me to my question: Has anyone here been turned off by a book they later liked because of premature exposure, or read a book they thought was inappropriate for their age in school?

Well when I was younger I wound up reading both Lord of The Flies and The Great Gatsby. Back then I read the for the sake of reading and was pretty much indifferent to them. Later in high school, we had to do studies on both of them and I found my indifference turned into anger at how such vomit could be classified as literature.....actually that's kinda the opposite of what were asking. Oh well.

Well when I was younger I wound up reading both Lord of The Flies and The Great Gatsby. Back then I read the for the sake of reading and was pretty much indifferent to them. Later in high school, we had to do studies on both of them and I found my indifference turned into anger at how such vomit could be classified as literature.....actually that's kinda the opposite of what were asking. Oh well.

It's not necessarily the opposite of what I was asking. I don't know how old you are now, but you may enjoy the books more. But being forced to do something automatically makes disdain swell up, and if you haven't lived long enough to understand the book...it can be unpleasant.

By the by, I realize I probably sound patronizing saying fifteen-year-olds are not intelligent enough to enjoy a good book; I apologize. But a book should mean something personal to someone if they wish to enjoy it, and if a person hasn't existed long enough to feel the way people in the book do, they won't like it (necessarily).

Recently there was a "Worst Book" thread. Around the same time, I read an old column by Russell Baker about a school named after Mark Twain banning Huckleberry Finn. Something Baker said made me think, which was that he agreed, the book should not be on the curriculum, but not because it could be considered racist, but because fourteen-year-olds would not be mature enough to understand Twain's themes, end up hating the book, and never take a second shot at what nearly everyone considers one of America's greatest novels (I haven't read it myself, so I can't speak for it).

This leads me to my question: Has anyone here been turned off by a book they later liked because of premature exposure, or read a book they thought was inappropriate for their age in school?

In the 4th grade in the catholic school they read us z for Zachariah (which I had to re read in the 7th grade)

I though the world was going to end due to nuclear war for like a month

I hated "To Kill a Mocking Bird" in school the first time we read it because I was like 9 and they made us read it out loud and I was uncomfortable being the only white kid in a class of 34 blacks saying things like the dreaded n-word. I love the book now, but when I was nine it made me dread going to school.

Well we weren't exactly "forced". I mean school is school and the student can still choose to do the work or not. By the time I read the books a 2nd time around, I found they were more just the authors egos splashed across the pages rather than a well written work. In fact I found that with a lot of the literature we "had to read". The Wars was actually one of the few pieces I enjoyed and found actually suited the class.

I hated "To Kill a Mocking Bird" in school the first time we read it because I was like 9 and they made us read it out loud and I was uncomfortable being the only white kid in a class of 34 blacks saying things like the dreaded n-word. I love the book now, but when I was nine it made me dread going to school.

Yeah and a few years can make a difference like I loved the book Z for Zachariah in 7th grade but in 4th grade ...

In the 4th grade in the catholic school they read us z for Zachariah (which I had to re read in the 7th grade)

I though the world was going to end due to nuclear war for like a month

Wow, I read when I was like 12. I found to fucking boring. No zombies or nazis or anything.

Yeah and a few years can make a difference like I loved the book Z for Zachariah in 7th grade but in 4th grade ...

I talked about this with my husband recently, how both of us hated books we were "assigned" to read and yet later when we read them for our own reasons we liked them. Something about being assigned a book just ruins the fun. (I say that but my kids absolutely have a reading heavy curriculum, and I won't change it either.)

Wow, I read when I was like 12. I found to fucking boring. No zombies or nazis or anything.

No just the entire planet geting nuked and a girl all on her own having to fend off a rapist single handedly and ends up shooting him and stealing his radiation suit

I was a sci-fi fan even then but this was a bit too adult for 4th grade

I talked about this with my husband recently, how both of us hated books we were "assigned" to read and yet later when we read them for our own reasons we liked them. Something about being assigned a book just ruins the fun. (I say that but my kids absolutely have a reading heavy curriculum, and I won't change it either.)

I was and am an avid reader ... yes it was not as fun but I did it

I remember back when we did "book it" in elementry school I would read as much as both the grades (we had 2 4th 5th and 6th grade classes) combined

I really needed a life

I will still read on the order of 10 books a month ... just dont have the time I used to

I was and am an avid reader ... yes it was not as fun but I did it

I remember back when we did "book it" in elementry school I would read as much as both the grades (we had 2 4th 5th and 6th grade classes) combined

I really needed a life

I will still read on the order of 10 books a month ... just dont have the time I used to
:D I signed the girls up for "Book it" but since we can't have pizza, then Pizza Hut just gives us cash.......

I wish I had known you could do that when I was a kid, I would have rather had $5 for reading a few books than that nasty personal pan pizza.

:D I signed the girls up for "Book it" but since we can't have pizza, then Pizza Hut just gives us cash.......

I wish I had known you could do that when I was a kid, I would have rather had $5 for reading a few books than that nasty personal pan pizza.

I loved pizza lol :) and they had the cool mini tables in them!

When I tuirned 9, I got an NES, Mario 1/Duck Hunt, Zelda 1, and Metroid 1. I mainly played the first two games, as it was years before I had the patience and maturity to appreciate Metroid.

I hated the giver when I read it in fifth grade but liked it a bit more when reading it in 7th or 8th grade.

Meh. I got started early. I've experienced no such change...nor, for that matter, have I seen much difference between assigned and unassigned books...*shrug*

When I tuirned 9, I got an NES, Mario 1/Duck Hunt, Zelda 1, and Metroid 1. I mainly played the first two games, as it was years before I had the patience and maturity to appreciate Metroid.

Winner.