But I know I'm not the only one, and everyone has their own level of "prude" that they draw a line at. So how are we supposed to know if a book contains these elements or not? How can we avoid spending money on crap that we end up just having to throw out anyway? How can we keep our kids from reading stuff they shouldn't?
Movies have ratings. TV has ratings. Heck, every other form of media--Youtube even!--has some rudimentary form of letting users know when content has gone from acceptable to questionable. Why not books? Why are books not rated through a system like movies are?
Films are rated by the MPAA or Motion Picture Association of America. Their board of reviewers are made up of parents, actually. It's the main criteria for being on the board, because if you are a parent, then you will view the content through the eyes of a protector of children, I assume. The MPAA is able to afford this because films must pay to have their films rated. And in order to show their films, it is law that they must first have it rated. So. They pay a fee, the MPAA rates it for them, and we're all a little wiser.
So how did books slip past this? Is it because books are so old? There are too many? Too hard to regulate a rating system?
I want to know! I did research, and not surprisingly, I can't find much on this topic. But as someone who's main form of entertainment is actually books, it would be nice to just look at the spine, see a "R" rating, and be able to slip that puppy back on the shelf. Perhaps it doesn't even need to be regulated. Perhaps it could just be a courtesy that publishers add for readers so they know what they are getting into.
Am I totally crazy here? What do you think about content ratings?
Oh, I feel your pain! It is so aggravating to be happily reading and then . . . whamo. Ohmygoodness. Skip. Skip. Skip. Glance. Still going? Skip. Skip. Whew! A rating system would take all of the guesswork - and gymnastics out of my reading!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you agree! I'm more worried about children than myself, though. Things slip through the cracks. I know because it happened frequently! It was fascinating and "rebellious" at the time, I suppose, but entirely inappropriate for my age.
DeleteAmen!! I recently had the same experience as you. It's so frustrating when a book has a great story line and so many good things going for it, then it gets ruined with a ton of unnecessary sex. I would love to know ahead of time what is in a book.
ReplyDeleteGood to know I'm not alone! Lots of folks get up in arms about censorship, but this isn't censoring. Just a heads up would be good!
DeleteI've noticed that a lot of authors, especially with New Adult becoming popular add a disclaimer. For example in my book, right in the description on amazon, I have what ages it's suitable for and then I added an "for younger audiences skip chapter _" where there's one sex scene.
ReplyDeleteSo I think since there isn't a board or anything, author's should be more forthcoming and add something like that. I don't know though! I like knowing what I'm getting into as well.
That's very considerate of you, Taylor! And that's fine, really it is. Not everyone does that, though. And with online publishing becoming what it is, its far too easy for certain books to slip into children's categories...books that are not at all for children!
DeleteI so agree. I'm not a prude, but my religion is strict and I try to adhere to my religion and avoid subjects and language. I ordered a book of someone I had heard speak in the past and expected it to be more conservative. While I found the premise interesting and the characters fleshed out, I was offended. I read more than I should have and my reason for ending wasn't enitrely based on being offended but rather afraid of one of the men having a broken heart. I think it is fair to be warned. And with a book, they could even put a page to avoid or more if it is just isolated. Of course, you wouldn't want it to fall into the hands of a child who may go right to that page out of curiousity.
ReplyDeleteI'll be the dissenter.
ReplyDeleteI read this post and the book-loving part of my brain started sounding the alarm. It's just soooo close to censorship, which is sooooo close to book-burning. It's a slippery slope, really. I'm sure you all think I'm being overly paranoid, but, well, look at the movie industry.
The MPAA rating system has come under a LOT of fire lately and for some pretty good reasons (what's "appropriate" being a completely arbitrary and subjective decision, and one that has changed and will continue to change being pretty high on the list).
As a result of this system, movies don't get made. There's stuff to be said that requires harsh language and adult concepts, that isn't getting said because no one will go see an NC-17 or "un-rated" flick.
Further, well, it's censorship. For the movies, I'm not allowed to take my kid to see Hellboy (not that I necessarily want to, but bear with me). It's rated R. Too much violence for my tender boy, they tell me. Regardless of the fact that I'm a mom who talks to her kids about how make-believe violence is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from what's really acceptable in real life. Regardless of the fact that my kid knows that there are some words that only adults should use and only at certain times. Some one else has decided that I'm not capable of making decisions about what my kid can and cannot see.
I don't practice a lot of censorship, as a parent. There are no parental controls set in my house. There are no "off-limits" books, no, not even the Laurell K. Hamilton ones.
I do practice talking and listening. I do practice, you know, parenting. We discuss what behavior is appropriate for children to engage in and what behavior is not. We talk about how the things we see and hear impact our thinking and acting. We talk about the difference between make-believe and real life. We talk about good writing and poor writing.
We don't skip chapters. We talk about them.
Sure - it might be nice for the author or reviewer to describe the racy bits. "This book includes descriptions of two consenting adults having sex." But don't tell me what's best for me or my kids, thank you.
No one would be telling anyone what to read. I used the MPAA as an example, but my suggestion here isn't like that. It's just a heads up. It's not like 13 year olds wouldn't be able to read books suggested for 17 and up. But it would be nice to know ahead of time, don't you think?
DeleteSure... Which is why I think authors making comments as the lady above did are a good thing.
DeleteBut it's a verrrry short step from "let's put in disclaimers or warnings" to "let's make a rating system" to "let's not let kids buy books rated pg-13."
Your post here solved my dilemma, thank you very much. I am not new to writing, or telling stories, but I am new to putting my work out there for human consumption. I was trying to sort this out myself and there you were, talking about this very topic. Thank you. I will be sure to include ratings on my work online. I'm no prude, but I am a parent and as such it feels wrong to not inform people about what they are getting into when they start reading. A lot of my work is 'adult' themed, but not sexually explicit. None the less, a label to indicate what level of out of bounds a story can get to is comforting to me as an author and also to my readers. I think a rating system is not necessary, but will go a long way with everyone.
ReplyDelete