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.

Freshman year in high school is when my books started to have the high body count I'm known for today. I remember "Forever" and "Go ask Alice" well, though.

When I was a kid I could read in the car for hours, but at some point during puberty my inner ears went wonky and supersensitive and now I get motion sick even reading on the subway. Unfair, I tell you!