My mom tore out the X-rated pages from Straub's Ghost Story when I pointed them out to her and asked questions, but gave me the rest of the book to finish reading as she had no objection to me reading about murder cover-ups, vengeful ghosts, and Gregory & Fenny Bates.

Go Ask Alice and Forever were the scandalous books I remember reading in middle school.

I want my kids to read. Period.

In MEME news - I hate writing self evaluations.

The only book that I can remember my mother ever telling me I couldn't read was Jephte's Daughter by Naomi Ragen. I borrowed it from my sister, and my mother took it away from me after I'd already read several chapters. I have no idea why that particular book was not allowed, since I'd read plenty of books with much more graphic sex and violence by that time.

Similarly, I wasn't allowed to watch the movie Murder in the First. Only movie I was ever told I wasn't allowed to watch.

I hate writing self evaluations.

See if Matt's mom still has the X-rated pages from Ghost Story that you could submit instead....

I want my kids to read. Period.

For that, I would suggest Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret.

t rimshot

I can remember my mother complaining to my dad that he shouldn't leave books like Michener's Caravans lying around where I could pick them up and read them, but she never told me not to read that or anything else.

All in all, I think I'd rather my kid had the freedom to read whatever s/he wanted whether I knew about it or not.

Jess, I think I am in agreement with you.

OMG, I loved Ghost Story.

my dad always wanted me to stop reading in the van on road trips and look out the window.

My mother and your father are related!--as much as an Indian man and a woman of German-English descent can be related. She'd take books away from me on vacation.

Our vacations frequently were an eight-hour drive away. My parents loved it when we'd read in the car. Before we got in the car, they'd always check to make sure we had enough books.