On recommendations and the dangers thereof

[rosemaryinwheat]

My poll yesterday prompted a response from jl_merrow that set my brain a-buzzing. Even after several drafts I'm still not sure I have it right, but here goes.

This reply is more to the world at large than to jl_merrow in particular, who kindly gave me permission to repost the comment here. (Thank you!)

I voted "no" on both. The reason? Several times I've been

Comments

[fellmama]

I thought immediately of the time my boyfriend wanted to give Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age as a gift to his (Mormon) teenage stepsister. If you haven't read it, it features a complex and interesting plot with a strong female protagonist who uses her own wits--and a quasi-magical--book to save the day.

Sounds great, right? . . . Except for the part with the undersea orgy. The Irishman is STILL thanking me for blanching and shrieking "No! No!" when he floated the idea.

So on the one hand, I see jl_merrow's point. On the other, TI had ~read~ the book . . . he'd just completely forgotten why he shouldn't gift it to someone whose mom would freak the hell out.

[fellmama]

Incidentally, I recommended Tamora Pierce's Alanna books instead, which do feature sex and other adult situations--but in a wholly age-appropriate way.