Nathan Bransford - The Forums

Any thoughts on how the book world has avoided being "rated" by some arbitrary system like the movie, music, and video game industry?

It seems to me that those people (the ones that rate entertainment) must think one's imagination cannot be as graphic as an actual image or sound.

So, in theory anyway, a seven year old COULD buy a copy of a book that would be rated 'R' if it were made into a movie. A book full of sex, violence, profanity, and satanic-sounding lyrics.

Is this a good or a bad thing in your opinion?

I would HATE to see a rating system on books. The book burners would have a new avenue for taking books they don't like out of the hands of ALL young readers.

Hey Margo,

Don't be too hard on them book burners.

I always thought it was amusing how they would have people buy some book so they can burn them. I would LOVE to write a book that made people so upset they wanted to have big book burning meetings. More sales for me!

Not to mention the publicity your book will get. I am often inclined to buy something because some group is crying about it. In fact, the only reason I saw the movie 'The Last Temptation of Christ' is because some group was protesting the movie at the theatre. I probably never would have watched it if it wasn't for them.

They often shoot themselves in the foot with their protest and book burnings and can't even see it.

johndavid wrote:They often shoot themselves in the foot with their protest and book burnings and can't even see it.

I agree, in regard to the adult market. However, I don't want young readers carded when they try to check out a book.

This is all I have to say to anyone who wants to attach ratings to books:

(also, I've discovered the youtube button and I can't help myself)

I think there's just an inherent difference between visual media and literature. The written word can be evocative and create horrific mental images, but they're not actual images. When reading a graphic (or "mature") book, having some sense of context is inevitable. You're reading about the act and understanding the context in which it's happening (presumably). A child reading a book that is beyond their maturity level still has to at least be developed enough to read, for starters. If they're at level enough to read the "bad" parts, they're also hopefully capable of understanding the context.

In visual media, context is more vague. As a child, I watched movies like Jaws, and the context of the film went completely over my head. I only saw the violence. I didn't understand what or why things were happening, only that it was scary and there was blood. I saw Animal House when I was fairly young, as well, and again... I just saw nudity. No concept of what was happening, only that there were naked people.

If I had read either of those works in book form, it either 1.) all would have gone over my head, because I wasn't at that level of understanding, or 2.) I would have been at level and able to understand what was happening.

I mean, I had friends in school who would bring in "grown up" books and read aloud the parts about boobs and sex, and we'd all have a giggle, but it wasn't the same as if they'd brought in pictures of pornography.

Am I making any sense? It makes sense in my head, heh.

maybegenius wrote:If I had read either of those works in book form, it either 1.) all would have gone over my head, because I wasn't at that level of understanding, or 2.) I would have been at level and able to understand what was happening.

Makes sense to me.

My son is an advanced reader. He's been reading at a 12th grade level since he was ten. It was challenging at first to find books that were complex enough to keep his interest, but not too explicit or adult that he would be reading things I thought inappropriate for his age. I'm not sure a rating system would have helped. I think as a parent I am better at discerning what he should read. Granted, I also read a lot of books, so I don't mind screening things for him first.

I let my son read The Road last year. I think he was the only seventh-grader toting that one around. I warned him what it was about, and knew that he could understand most of it in context. He liked it, and we had a good talk about it, speculating about what we would do if that really happened.

I don't ever want to see ratings on books. I don't like censorship, or book bans at libraries, or bonfires of the vanities. I think we're all smarter than that.

Oh, there are plenty of groups that have tried to advocate for a ratings system, but it's too tricky for anyone to work out well enough to have an honest go at trying to have it implemented. And oh man, I hope they never, ever succeed.

Earlier this year this subject became pretty center stage over an opinion columnist's response to John Green and David Levithan's book Will Grayson, Will Grayson. The columnist was horrified by some of the content in the book, particularly a scene between two of the characters who joke about cyber sex and how ridiculous it is. The language isn't really bad but the suggestion of what their joking about was the heart of the problem and how the columnist was angry about the book being marketed for 14 and up. Well the columnist wanted to see ratings put on YA books so that parents could tell which ones were appropriate for their kids. While the sentiment wasn't a bad one, I mean that sort of help would be great if the parents don't have time to read every book their kid wants to read, but the practice is flawed and potentially very dangerous. Not to mention how it would make YA books difficult for kids to get their hands on, but adult books would be no problem.

In any case, while I disagreed with the poster, there comments developed into a genuine and interesting discussion on ratings and censorship and how modern YA is growing up. Granted, there's a middle section in the comments where things devolve into biting, scathing remarks as they usually do when people start discussing things they are passionate about, but for the most part everyone stays mature and on subject. It's a good read and there are a few authors that join in and give their honest comments on the subject.

http://januarymagazine.blogspot.com/201 ... ted-r.html

I don't always think the rating system works. It's different for every country. Runaways was rated R in the states and MA 15+ in Australia. I think it all comes down to a parents discretion anyway. My 15 year old brother has seen Wrong Turn with his mates and they think it's hilarious (if you'd seen this movie you'd know anyone with maturity level would really find it disgusting and cringe-worthy - and that's not even for someone conservative).

I think the classifications out there (MG, YA, A) are enough. You wouldn't hand a 14 year old an adult book and expect it to be free of language, sex and violence. At the same time, there seems to be more of an awareness out there then there was, say ten years ago, and these things are becoming more accepted. Trusting the authors, agents and editors to put the book in the right area should be enough. When it comes to self publishing however... who can say.